Knights Errant: Online
by tmomo
Summary: The story side. How a group of intrepid adventurers fought bravely in a deadly game: Knights Errant. Based on D&D rules and spells. KakaIru AU
1. ACT 1

Welcome! So, you might be wondering, 'where's the sequel to GoT, Tmo? What happened? Is it still happening?"  
I don't know, it's happening and yes. It's coming. I just have to work out certain things because I want to tell it from the pov of an oc and I hate writing ocs but that's what will be best for the story. Anyway.

This story is based on Dungeons and Dragons rules, spells and information. This means that the mechanics of Knights Errant are based on it. If you feel confused or anything at all about fighting sequences, let me know and I'll clarify as much as I can in the comments in case I need to make any changes to the descriptions.

Here are some basic rules of D&D to get you started with this story:

Fighting happens on a turn-by-turn basis.  
In combat, players get an action and a bonus action which ranges in options for each class.  
Players have six main stats called ability scores (dexterity, charisma, intelligence, wisdom, strength and constitution) which are all unique to each player and how they level up their character.  
Most important: how well or how poorly a situation goes all depends on the luck of the draw.

I wrote up character sheets for Kakashi and Iruka's characters cause I'm a big dork, in case anyone wants to see them.

Hope you enjoy

* * *

 _Online_

* * *

 _Knights Errant® is an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Kneed universe. Players assume the roles of Errant heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Being "Massively Multiplayer," Knights Errant allows thousands of players to interact within the virtual world unlike any other. Whether adventuring together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory._

* * *

As he backflipped through the air about to land, the rogue sent another dagger flying to the giant centipede so that it struck the insect right in an eye and it screeched out loudly before falling to the ground in a cloud of dirt and leaves.

Another low-level creature and another 50 experience points which wasn't a lot in a game that capped at one million seven hundred and seventy-five thousand, a total of one hundred levels of the map and one hundred levels per character. It was a slow climb but so satisfying at each level.

He had played the beta. The game was an investment and not just a one hit wonder. But he knew the key to getting a good start and that was teamwork. Even though he dreaded the thought of it.

Stepping over the pixelating body of the giant centipede, Kakashi kept moving through the forest until he reached where the trees dissipated into wide fields of grass and the rivers and forests in the valley beyond.

He wasn't good at working in large groups, but his saving grace was the purple skinned tiefling he had met on the first day of beta testing when he had walked into the cavern that seemed to have music that was too modern coming from it.

Leaning up against the last tree of the wooded edge, he watched the sky erupting into fiery colours as the day went on at the same time as the real world. His bard partner and he decided on the last day of testing to meet where the Whispering Wood met the Clearings of Landerdale and for once he was early despite the packed spawn area.

He couldn't wait to start adventuring and see the new lands and levels that they hadn't ventured to yet. The rivers below glimmered, and he wanted to be there everyday, walking along their banks with a few forest breezes flowing through his hair. He loved this game dearly already and knew he would sink endless hours of the day into it.

With a thrilled shiver, he pulled the brown started cloak up higher around his elvish form and looked down at his feet in wonder at how real it all felt.

He could feel everything so clearly on his skin and it reminded him of why he spent so much money on the game in the first place.

Pulling himself back from his own thoughts, he checked his friends list again out of habit before realising that this wasn't his beta profile. With a sharp eye watch around him, he waited to see the familiar purple haired and red eyed tiefling.

He started to wonder if he had the right place after ten minutes had gone by and still no sign.

Starting back through the forest, he kept his eye out for purple. Even when he got back to the outskirts of town, he didn't pay much attention to the brown-haired human who jogged by him and into the forest. Instead, he headed down the same route someone would take to get from the forest to spawn and found no tieflings of any skin colour.

A notification came.

 _Welcome to Knights Errant._

 _Now that you've acquainted yourself with the controls, please be aware that the logout function is now disabled. Please also note that attempting to leave the game by other means will have the same repercussions in real life. Reach level 100, defeat the final boss, and all players will be automatically logged out. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation._

 _\- Sincerely, Knights Errant_

* * *

Twenty-four floors later and a month of no progress, Kakashi was in a bar alone.

"I don't know… It seems risky." A small voice caught his ear and he glanced over his shoulder at one of the tables lit by candle light. There sitting small and pale, a girl who looked to be barely in her teens looked at her party in worry.

"It will be." Another person leaned in, back to Kakashi. They comforted her, "But we'll be all together, and we'll keep each other safe. It's only a small cave system too. Let's go meet up with the others."

The girl nodded her dark head, seemingly reassured by the mention of other party members. The party finished their drinks and headed out into the early morning, catching Kakashi's attention even though parties setting out to travel were quite common.

Still, he had a feeling brewing in his gut.

* * *

"Hinata!" Kurenai surged towards her student and Iruka knew that things were about to go very bad. With a slash of its claws, Kurenai and Hinata were thrown out of sight and into the smoke that surrounded them.

"Shit." He mumbled behind his handkerchief mask that was covering his mouth from the ash hanging in the air. Everyone else was completely lost to the cover now. He heard shuffling and slamming though and feared the worst.

The most terrifying though was when the sound stopped. Light thuds in the distance slowly crept closer towards him. Step by step, Iruka knew that he was in deep trouble if he didn't move. Quietly as possible, he reversed and used his turn to take the long way around into the direction he saw Kurenai run towards.

With a low-level cantrip, he pushed the smoke away from his feet to try and find his teammates. There was a rumble from where he had come, and he pushed forward quicker, peering into the ash as far as he could.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a boot and hurried towards it as the rumbling turned into an ear-piercing shriek from the ash drake. In under a second, Iruka had reached the body and was about to cast Cure Wounds into it when a tail came swinging through the dust.

There was nowhere for him to dodge to. He could only throw his arms up and brace for impact and it slammed into him and sent him flying back, rolling and tumbling over himself through the ash.

As he looked up, he watched his health bar sink lower, down into the red as the dark shape of the drake barreled towards him alarmingly fast. He saw a flash of claws and felt a slash of pain across his arms, the crunch of his own bones and skin as he was thrown again. Falling like a ragdoll, Iruka rolled and slid again. The pain was agony, and everything screamed as he pulled himself up onto his elbows and knees. He didn't have any spells that could help him now. His health was two points away from nothing, their cleric was down, and he didn't know where their monk was either. He was alone and going to die at the hands of the approaching beast that was going to eat him.

 _C0pyCat requests to join your party._

The message popped up in front of his face and he almost didn't believe it was real. After all this time, he was alive.

There was a low growl and Iruka saw the dark figure stalk out of the shadows, moving quicker and quicker towards him. In an instant, he suppressed the memory of sitting at a forest's edge and the regret that followed, reaching out a hand for the accept key.

Just as he accepted, the invitation vanished and instead he was face to face with the grey, scaled dragon that was looking down at him and barring its teeth.

It was the comforting hand on his shoulder that gave him the first ray of hope and he watched the dark shadow next to him pass in a flash as a glint of metal flew out of its cape.

Reflexively Iruka stood and tagged the shadow back, casting Longstrider on them before the person sprinted off to the left where Iruka knew his unconscious teammates were. And he trusted and knew that his teammates would be okay.

The distracted dragon snapped its head back to the only figure in range.

"Shatter!" Iruka called and an ear-piercing shriek erupted from right above the dragon's head. The ringing bounced off the walls but stayed within a ten-foot radius for a few seconds without dissipating. With a roar, the ashen monster shook its head, not as affected as Iruka had hoped but still angry and agitated.

Iruka slipped out his wand and stayed in his position, standing tall and commanding the drake's attention with the last of his health and no remaining spell slots.

As he was about to cast again, a deep and powerful voice roared in mimic of their foe. In a flash of light, a bright and powerful greatsword broke through the ash. The woman in leather armour roared out and cleaved her way through the dragon's side as it shrieked in pain.

It was bleeding now but still standing.

With a twirl of his wand, Iruka cast with a flick of his wrist, "Fireball!"

In a blast of fire and wind, a tiny bead of red energy manifested in front of the wand and was went flying towards the dragon before impacting the dragon and exploding into ball of flames.

"Tsunade!" A voice called out and the two visible figures watched as another shot through the air and straight into the dragon's face for a combo of fists. In his green tunic and trousers, Gai ground to a halt next to Iruka with a great smile on his face, "Aha! I am no longer blinded by the ash cloud!"

"Nice job, Gai," That smile was infectious, but the most hopeful ray of hope was Hinata's tiny figure stepping out from the smoke and letting loose a spell.

"Guiding Bolt!" She called as light shot from her hand and into the drake's chest, Kurenai stepping up behind her and firing an arrow.

The creature's pain echoed through the caves but was silenced with a dagger that stuck itself into its eye and out the other end.

Slowly, the ash and dust started to dissipate, and a bright light appeared over all their heads.

Iruka knew that it said that they had all leveled up, but he wasn't focused on his level or the new items in his inventory. He was watching the glowing twenty-six that glowed down into the cloaked figure, casting shadows onto a pale face and was familiar but new at the same time. Their eyes met and Iruka knew who this strange face belonged to.

"Kakashi! It can't be!" From across the cave, Gai dashed over and went in for a big hug that surprised everyone but Iruka stayed away from the special moment between friends and tended to Kurenai and Hinata who gathered near Tsunade.

"Gai?" Kakashi was speechless and almost couldn't process the man who was squeezing the life out of him. "You're here. In game?"

"Yes! And you're here too!" Gai pulled away and there was a moment where the stunned rogue let the overwhelming feeling of happiness take over. "I can't believe you're here, my fri-"

He was cut off by the abrupt hug Kakashi gave back and they both laughed happily.

"I thought you weren't going to play." Kakashi said softly as they pulled apart again. "You swore off video games when you started training."

The cheeky grin told Kakashi that Gai's will had faltered at the enticing promises of Knights Errant. "Ah, I got the console for Lee as a birthday gift, but he wanted me to have the honor of trying it out first. But better me than him in here!"

It was under grim circumstances, but he was glad to have a familiar face in here. The world suddenly became not so lonely. On the note of familiar, Kakashi looked over at the other party member who were taking inventory and healing each other up.

The young girl seemed to be talking to the darker-haired woman as a man in a ragged ponytail mumbled words under his breath from a book he had, his eyes glowing a low, reminiscent purple.

"Thank you, stranger," Said the blonde-haired barbarian who was coming up to them, shaking hands with Kakashi who nodded.

"All in a day's work."

"I see you two know each other. Call me Tsunade." Her keen eyes analysed him.

"Tsunade." He acknowledged and returned with, "Kakashi."

"Kakashi and I have been in school together since elementary. Our work has led us to different paths, but the game has brought us together again." Gai explained simply to Kakashi's relief.

"So, a rogue."

"I think so." He played, and she grinned a salty smile at him.

"Watch that sass, boy."

"Yes, ma'am." She scoffed at him and wandered over to the rest of the group who were waiting for their caster to finish up his Cure Wounds ritual. The woman's name was Kurenai, a ranger who was also Hinata the cleric's tutor in real life.

"I feel like I know you from somewhere..." Kurenai wondered to him after they were introduced but he couldn't place her face even though her crimson, curious eyes were hard to miss.

"I don't think we've met before. I have been around though."

She studied him for longer in a way that set him on edge, but he was doing the same for all of them. They were a mixed bag of people. It was lucky that they had an assortment of classes; barbarian, monk, cleric, ranger and even a bard.

The bard was the most interesting. He had expected wild tattoos, sexual energy from miles and bright eyes but this was not who he was expecting as his beta test partner.

Paradox, as his gamertag had been in beta and still was, had been a charming, red-eyed creature with horns curling out of his hairline and back into the mane of tousled lavender locks. Of course, Kakashi hadn't been himself either but this difference was major. Instead of flowing locks, the ponytail that held his hair back couldn't keep back the tuft that had sprung up in the front from all the fighting. Short and lean of frame, the outside wasn't noticeable or memorable to any extent but Kakashi was curious.

As normal as the man seemed, there were hints of the fire he knew resided within. He remembered their long nights of battling and travelling together only barely and that was even possible because of the interesting company he had.

"What brings you out this far from town?" Gai asked and Kakashi shrugged.

"Was in the neighbourhood." He looked to the small girl who looked beaten and battered but staying strong and quiet as she let the healing magic flow through her wrist. "How did you end up fighting an ash drake at this level?"

"We were greatly misinformed." Tsunade grimly crossed her arms but Kurenai nodded.

"Thank you for your aid. If you hadn't jumped in when you did, we would have died." Her words made the room go quiet at the reality of what had transpired.

"There we go. That's as much as I've got." A new voice finally said as the purple glow died back into the dim light of the caves. Paradox the bard finally stood with Hinata in tow, putting a hand on her shoulder as he met dark eyes to Kakashi's and give a warm, familiar smile that lit up nostalgia in Kakashi's chest. "I think that thankful would be an understatement in this circumstance but… Thank you."

He knew he couldn't help the tug at the corners of his mouth. With all his sincerity, he stepped forward, "My pleasure."

"It's good to see you again." A few of the team's attention was raised as Iruka articulated for the first time, "Kakashi."

"You too," They were already shaking hands like they were meeting for the first time which felt both automatic and absurd, but that ribbon of familiarity was home. It had been the same with seeing Gai again.

"Iruka."

* * *

Kakashi took the name he was given and finally put a real face to a real name and it clicked into place. With a nod, he acknowledged, "Iruka."

"And then he gave me this funny look and it kinda looked like he was going to tell me to go die in a hole or something." Iruka was explaining over drinks at the Leaky Tap tavern. There was a plate of cheese and breads between them but Iruka had an audience to enraptured with his tale of how they met that it was only Kakashi who was filling up on carbs. The others were chuckling and then Iruka finished it up with, "But instead, this high elf tells me: I like you."

Surrounded by loud laughs that were mainly dominated by Gai, Kakashi even quirked a smile at the memory of Iruka looking down at him in his tiefling avatar with his hair a mess of twigs and leaves from falling together down a semi-tall cliff and surviving.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Iruka asked between Gai and Kakashi, sparking a conversation about kindergarten nap times and parents.

"Looks like we have another one from Konoha, I assume?" Tsunade asked.

With a nod, Kakashi looked around the table after motioning for the server to bring more food just as Kurenai gasped, "That's it! You led the raids, didn't you?"

There was a moment of silence among them, a seriousness descending onto their shoulders and reminding them that this wasn't reality.

"I did." Kakashi quietly responded.

"What happened to them?" Hinata piped up from across the table and all eyes were on Kakashi again.

"A lot of people stopped doing quests and died in boss fights when numbers weren't enough. Many got scared and eventually stopped coming. And that's why I'm here." He explained, and they fell quiet again.

"Well then," Tsunade was smirking. "I guess everyone will just have to finish the game."

"No cutting corners." Gai agreed, putting his hand between them all.

"Together." Hinata was standing, brows furrowed in determination and her hand on Gai's. Her eyes passed over everyone's and the others joined her. Kakashi's was the last to fall on top, following hand under his to Iruka's bright, inspired eyes.

"Together." They echoed.

* * *

The quest board was soon empty of jobs that they could sign up for, including the mundane ones that earned little experience. They had even gone back down to previous floors and finished up any remaining quests that the others had to finish from their quest menu. It was when they returned an npc to their parents that they finally were all at their twenty-sixth level.

Deciding to face the next boss as a team, they gathered for the night and went over what Kakashi knew about the dungeon and what was to come. After all the undead and goblins, they would face a stone golem. He went over all its attacks and what spells would be most useful against it. They came up with a plan and worked it out until they felt one hundred percent about it.

"Hey, Kakashi." Iruka caught his elbow as they were headed to their inn for the night. "Do you want to work out our combo one more time? I'm a little rusty."

"Sure." They walked together towards the training fields, stepping together slowly.

"I wish it would rain sometimes." Was the first thing Iruka said after the comfortable quiet between them.

"Snow would be nice too." Kakashi commented back and they shared a smile.

"We haven't practiced since the lockdown."

"We have."

Iruka rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, with the group we have."

"Ah, you mean just us two." Iruka nodded and Kakashi knew that he was trying to stir up conversation, so he joined in playfully. "Miss having me all to yourself?"

"Hah, you wish." He said no more but Kakashi knew what he really meant.

"Why don't you channel your music for spells anymore?"

"My playlists are cheesy."

"I like them." Kakashi supplied and even though Iruka chuckled, he could tell that his words meant something.

"Maybe for this boss, I'll use them."

"Ooh, can't wait to watch the show." He teased and Iruka blushed.

"Yeah, yeah, the way I lip-sync, and air guitar is mesmerising."

"You sure manage to charm me." Kakashi shrugged as they carried on to the training grounds, both grateful for each other's company and nervous for the day to come.

As the cutting blow from Tsunade's great sword slammed into the golem's chest, a bright light filled the dark dungeon. Kakashi slid back and buckled onto his knees when they suddenly went numb. Undead climbing at Gai's legs and skeletons banging at the door all disappeared into the white light until it was just the party standing on nothing.

With a flash, a door mystified itself into existence and above it the number twenty-six materialised.


	2. ACT 2

_Online_

* * *

 _Knights Errant® is an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Kneed universe. Players assume the roles of Errant heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Being "Massively Multiplayer," Knights Errant allows thousands of players to interact within the virtual world unlike any other. Whether adventuring together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory._

* * *

"You're so smart, you know that?" Iruka commented as they found their way back home with bargained potions and promises of better armour. The compliment had Kakashi smiling and chuckling.

"You think so?"

"I do." Iruka smiled back and shrugged. "I guess that's why you didn't put many points into intelligence."

"If I was a wizard, it would've been a totally different story."

After a moment, Iruka asked, "Why did you choose a rogue? Why not a fighter or a barbarian?"

"Well," Kakashi started out, wondering if this was a good time to bring up his dark past and scars. "I don't like fighting very much but if I have to, I want it to be quick and as painless as possible."

"Ahn, perfect." Iruka snickered to himself after a second and Kakashi was laughing to at the obvious innuendo. "Me too."

"So, what made you become a bard? Other than your musical genius of course," Kakashi teased but Iruka was unfazed, smirking confidently.

"Well, bards can take any spell. If this game is exactly like it was in the beta, then there's one spell that will be very useful if we find it."

The sun was slowly beginning to set over the mountain peaks ahead and they were almost at the cottage that they had bought a month back with the rest of their teammates. It was cozy and warm. Located on the fifth floor, it hadn't been terribly expensive for the land and the construction had been quick for being on the outskirts of town, surrounded by trees. Best of all, it had many rooms and a large kitchen to cook for at least three dozen people.

Over the passed two months they had been adventuring together, they had started gathering allies. A network of quest tips had been started by Tsunade who wanted to get all adventurers as advanced as possible with Kakashi's help. Many travelers had stayed at their new home as they trained and collected information. Others came to seek asylum from groups that wanted to take advantage of their magic. A few had even started helping them.

There was first Yamato who helped to thread out the network further and further using his druid magic. A few rangers had made a small guild to fan out and search for boss areas with every new level. They had started making headway through the levels again and the small group found themselves as the spearhead of the operation. They were now at level eighty-nine and so close to ninety, but it felt like they had done it in no time at all. It was amazing what teamwork could accomplish when everyone cooperated.

Hinata felt that she was the weakest link though. She felt as though she was never quick enough and that her tactics were never effective. It was like she was lagging behind all these adults who were so good at this game. The team was so supportive though of her efforts and helpful, but she did need time to herself, so she could train and practice.

Coming back from the training grounds as the sun set behind the trees, she slowly made her way up the path towards the sound of voices and the smell of food. Hopefully, Kurenai would observe her tomorrow and give her pointers. First, she would have to ask and that was the scariest part.

Just as she stepped up onto the porch, she heard a soft laugh that didn't come from inside. It was coming from above actually, the deck just above the front porch. Stepping back quietly, she listened harder and heard the low talking of two people coming in just enough for her to hear.

"Well, I mean… I like them, but I don't love them."

"Ahnnn, I see."

She couldn't make out the voices just yet, but they seemed to both be male.

"It's just that I don't like… Women in general."

There was a pause until the second person spoke up.

"Do you like men?"

"Yeah, I… I have since I was a kid really." The other person hesitated and Hinata realised that they sounded faintly like Iruka.

"Yeah? I realised when I was fifteen." There was a quiet again before chuckles broke out.

"I once knew a guy who was the most homophobic person ever but if you put one drop of liquor in him, he was the most flamboyant gay you'd ever meet."

"Wow, you have to wonder what happened to them when they were a kid."

Unable to tell who the second voice was, Hinata quietly snuck inside the heavy front door and found Tsunade asleep on the couch and Gai eagerly stirring a pot.

"Ah, Hinata, welcome back." He greeted over her shoulder as Kurenai came down the stairs.

"How was training?" She asked as they helped prepare dinner.

"Well," Hinata started, unsure of how to ask for help. "It was okay. I feel like I'm not… Thinking right when I'm in battle."

"Thinking right?" Kurenai pondered the statement but didn't say much more as they set the table. It wasn't long before the others joined them and Hinata pointedly noticed that with Iruka was Kakashi, how they sat next to each other.

Dinner went on as she noticed the smiles between the duo across the table. She wondered to herself why she never noticed the looks between them but didn't pry any further. They were wrapping up as Hinata discreetly asked Kurenai, "Ahn, I was wondering if you had any plans tomorrow?"

"Hm? Not really, there haven't been any new quests found so I should be free. What's up?" She was so open and welcoming.

"Could you maybe come and train with me tomorrow?" As soon as she said that, a weight was off her chest.

"Of course," Kurenai was smiling and Hinata was beyond the moon.

Bright and early, they woke up and headed out. After long hours and a long talk about concentration, they were heading back home with weak limbs. Just as the night before, she noticed the talking but didn't stay to listen, instead giving privacy to the two above.

"There isn't any other way to cast it though. I would've already used my action and bonus action at that point," Iruka argued but Kakashi pointed to the small illusion Iruka was playing out in front of them on the deck.

"Instead of casting Unseen Servant, why not Mage Hand? That's a cantrip right?"

"Yeah," Iruka was saying as Kakashi stared at him deeply, causing him to trip on his words. "It is but I can't cast it as an action. Wait. No. It is an action. I meant that I can't cast it as a bonus action."

Even through the stumbling of words, Kakashi was smirking and still staring in a way that threw Iruka off his groove.

"What?"

"Nothing," Kakashi was still smirking even though he shrugged and kept eye contact. "I know what you meant."

Scoffing and waving the illusion away, Iruka broke eye contact even if Kakashi didn't. "Cool. Anyway, even if it was, the hand can only hold up to ten pounds."

"Mhm," Kakashi hummed, smile ever present and starting to infect Iruka even though the bard tried hard to suppress it.

"So…"

"So?"

Iruka pursed his lips and walked away to the ledge but Kakashi followed, copying the way Iruka leaned against the rail. That broke Iruka's cool and he laughed out, "What? What is it?"

"Nothing." Kakashi never stopped the quirk in his lips.

"That smile is annoying me." Iruka ground out but the response he got was just a challenging arch of brows. They were close together now and Iruka shook his head out of confusion and playful frustration.

"I like your smile." The compliment threw Iruka off his game even more. He didn't expect it, but it wasn't unwelcome, and he looked back at Kakashi to find him stepping in even closer. They were inches anxiously apart but Iruka didn't back down, instead meeting the challenge Kakashi was proposing by not backing down.

"I… like yours too." Iruka quietly mumbled and the tension rose when Kakashi's fingertips grazed his jaw even though his frustration faded. Looking up at him, Iruka watched Kakashi smile fade softly before leaning in slowly. Iruka had enough time to back up and get away from the other body. But he didn't. He leaned in.

As soon as their lips grazed, meeting lightly together, a loud blast sounded just above their heads and a bright, blazing circle of light appeared.

Stepping away, they watched the circle's center retract until the bright light was just a pin against a busy background. Beyond, they saw a foreign market at sunset with tons of people bustling about. As they watched the scene that the portal showed them, the rest of the party had run up the stairs and were staring too.

"What happened?" Gai asked but the pair went red and shrugged.

It was only later that they realised that the key to opening the ninetieth floor wasn't a boss but instead a first kiss.

The portal led out into a large and busy town that they had never seen before. The portal stayed open thankfully and they explored the immediate alleys and buildings.

It wasn't long before they set up camp in an inn not far and Gai went off to spread word of the new level. As Gai went off, Iruka and Kakashi volunteered to look around town and take stock of the town's layout.

"This place is huge." Iruka commented after they seemingly had been walking for a few hours. "Maybe we should get a vantage point and see what we can see?"

"Sounds good." Kakashi agreed and led them to an alley, looking for handholds and climbing up the side of the building deftly as Iruka waited in the alley below. Once he was on the building, he made way to the tallest building until he could see everything. He saw the castle that stood in the distance at the edge of the city but beyond that, there was nothing. There were no trees, grass, fields or mountains. There was only the sudden drop after the city limit and as Kakashi spun around, he saw that this level was only the city.

* * *

"What's the boss then?" Kurenai was asking as they brainstormed. "We can't exactly see the normal boss towers."

"The game's changed up their levelling process now that we're close to the end." Tsunade suggested, putting down her drink. "We'll have to change up the way we look for bosses. It'll most likely be a challenge within the city."

"We'll have to mingle and figure it out." Gai was already heading to the next table, spurred on by their new goal.

"Gai, that's not…" Tsunade started but the man was already deep in conversation with the npc next to him.

"Ahn, well, we do have the grand ball in three days time." The npc was saying and everyone at the table clammed up, listening intently to the old man who seemed thrilled to have someone to talk to. "You'll definitely want to be there for that. Lord Senju and his wife throw the most magnificent party. If you can score an invitation, that is."

"Thank you very much, good sir!" He flashed the rest of his team a smile before he continued his conversation.

With mutual understanding, the team split up for the night in search of clues that would lead them in the right direction. Somehow, Kakashi found himself trailing behind as Iruka charmed his way into more and more information. How the lord was rich beyond belief but extremely benevolent. Everyone from all backgrounds were going to attend, even a high-class businessman by the name of Darui who was rumoured to be signing a contract with the Senju.

"Everyone keeps mentioning this Darui guy." Iruka mused out loud and Kakashi nodded.

"Sounds like we've got a lead."

Later that night, the convened with the others and talked about investigating Darui and a few others the team had suggested.

"We'll get moving in the morning. Tonight, we sleep." Tsunade was heading up the stairs to her room, the others trickling behind until Iruka and Kakashi were the only ones left.

"If he's signing a contract, this might be a bodyguarding quest." As Kakashi mused out loud, Iruka marveled at how well he was able to come up with strategies, so calm and analytical. He'd always admired that about him although he had never really caught onto Iruka's flirting. The way they conquered the last level was at the front of his mind and he couldn't easily ignore the fact that Kakashi seemed to at least acknowledge him as a potential interest. "Iruka?"

"Hm? Ahn, sorry, was daydreaming." Looking over, Kakashi was closer than before. His thigh was almost touching Iruka's and he was leaning back into the leather seat in a way that was cool and calming but it wasn't making Iruka calm one bit. "Ahn… Kakashi?"

"Yeah?" His voice was so steady.

"What happened to your legs?"

Kakashi froze.

Iruka wondered if he'd touched on something too real, watching the smile fade from his face into a blank stare. "I mean, I noticed a while back that your knees started shaking after fights. At first, I thought it was because you were just tired after every fight but…"

"Have you noticed anything else?" Eyes on his knees, Kakashi asked softly.

He didn't have to specify what he meant, Iruka was already touching the side of his nose where he could feel marred skin once more. "Yeah."

Their eyes met again and Iruka watched Kakashi look away again. "I was pinned under a car a few years ago. Lost function of my legs completely but therapy helped."

He watched Iruka's reaction but didn't find anything along the expected lines of pity or disgust. There was interest and understanding there and he wondered whether it would be the same if they ever met in real life. "But that loss of sensation comes back every now and then."

"Maybe it's because we're getting close to the end," Iruka wondered aloud and they smiled in bittersweet memory of real life.

* * *

"So, what happened to them?" Iruka was asking the shopkeeper who shifted uncomfortably and glanced around in caution.

"You didn't hear this from me but the Kumos might have had a hand in it."

"The Kumos?"

"They're an underground organization. They had roots in all the city. Tons of businesses are paid to keep their mouth shut in goods and services. I'm slowly going out of business because of all the magic items going around." The magic shop was just a small business compared to the others and Iruka nodded.

"Thank you." He quickly bought the Ring of Mind Shielding and slipped it on with the others in his pockets for his party. This web was becoming more and more complex and they needed a way into the party. Thankfully, he was a bard.

"I've landed us a gig." He declared as he stepped into the bar the party was meeting at that night.

"A gig?" The party was so confused in the best way and Iruka simply grinned.

"I've got us a gig at the grand ball tomorrow night. They needed magical entertainment. I've got magical entertainment and the party to back me up." Iruka said vaguely but knew he was going to have to spill the beans sooner rather than later.

"Great work, Umino." Tsunade lifted her drink. "What kind of instruments do you want us to pretend we play?"

"Anything, really. This at least gives us a way to give us more control of the action even though there will probably be other players there too. We just need to arrive early tomorrow night to setup. The staff entrance will be waiting for us," He explained as the others started thinking this over.

"We should think of a strategy then. Tomorrow night might be our only chance to beat this level." Kakashi considered. "So, we have to know who we're focusing on and what to do if something goes wrong."

"Kakashi's right." Tsunade took the floor and looked around the group. "We'll need eyes on the Senjus and on this Darui guy. They're both extremely important npcs and they could be targeted for this agreement."

"I heard that mister Darui is very big on music." Hinata provided. "There were a few people in the square talking about his obsession with artists."

"I don't think we should all try to play though." Kurenai looked rightly worried, "I don't know about you guys, but I can't play music to save my life. Even in game, I roll so poorly on performance that I always mess up. I think if someone's going to play, they need to have extremely high charisma."

As if on cue, everyone scanned the table before finishing on Iruka, the only one in the group who had high charisma. And that was how Iruka found himself standing in one of the halls of the Senju castle in a suit and tie with a playlist in his mind just waiting to be lip synced to.

The rest of the team had sneaked in under the guise of his musicians and were now pretending to set up on the low stage as the sun slowly sunk below the horizon.

Those who had played as a bard or had battled with an experienced bard like himself would be aware that bards had the option to play music with their spells; music from the real world. Ever since the lockdown, Iruka hadn't felt comfortable to use that feature and instead used his spells al dente. They lacked the flair that bards were known for but Iruka hadn't been ready to show the entire server that he was a magic user. He'd seen far too many bards die from exhaustion over the past few months either by accident or from being used.

It was a dark truth that reminded him every time they went out on quests that they weren't supposed to be there. This world wasn't theirs and that their home was in their real bodies. Even though it was a death sentence and they put their lives on the line every time they took up a quest, it was easy to forget. Their team worked together like a dream now, it was easy to forget how life-threatening everything was by how overpowered they were together. That and they were good people. They were fun to be around, and he loved watching each of them grow in their own ways; Tsunade becoming a leader when she had been so carefree in the beginning, Gai learning from her how to relax and even how Hinata was growing into her own by trusting herself.

Although, if he was being honest with himself, he knew that he would be able to see them off into their real lives easily. He missed feeling his real body and tasting real food even though Kakashi's in game food was the best he'd found so far. He wondered if his cooking skills were as proportional in real life; better than the best.

He was someone that Iruka probably wouldn't be able to say goodbye to.

"Hey," Shrugging off the ache in his chest, Iruka noticed the other man coming towards him and tried not to wonder why Kakashi looked amazing in his suit.

"Hey." He nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Nervous?"

"A little." The noises out in the hall were getting louder as people entered and Kakashi felt like an anchor in the chaos that was about to commence. The plan was to charm the entire room so that they got any secondary problems out of the way so that they could find real threats. Kakashi and the others would be on the floor, keeping eyes out for Lord and Lady Senju and their mysterious businessman.

"Well, with your charisma that high, you'll have the room in tears if you wanted." Kakashi joked reassuringly.

"Hopefully. We'll see what happens." There was a reassuring hand on his that squeezed lightly, and he looked up to see Kakashi's worry.

"Just… If anything feels wrong at any point, let me know."

He smirked at the warm feeling in his chest at the other man's concern. With a wink, he squeezed Kakashi's hand back and said, "Don't worry."

* * *

"Thank you, everyone." Lord Senju concluded to the ballroom, outstretching his arms to the crowd with his smile welcoming and happy. At his side, his wife had an equally glowing air and they both looked so glad to have everyone there. They seemed like good people from Kakashi's point of view and he didn't see anyone in the crowd who were looking up at them on their dais in disgust or even boredom.

"So please enjoy yourselves tonight." The lord finished to a round of applause and cheering before Kakashi caught a flick of a familiar wrist, accompanied by a momentary glow of purple energy.

And with the start of Iruka's Unearthly Chorus spell, the hall filled with a familiar tune. Kakashi almost couldn't place it until the singing started. With a vintage-looking microphone in hand that held within it a glowing crystal, Iruka sauntered onto stage. The mic was purely for illusionary purposes to draw in the common folk but even Kakashi couldn't help but note that Iruka was owning the illusion and the performance.

It was a classic Iruka move, using old pop hits like this one that would stir memories in any player. He remembered Waking up to his dad playing it somewhere in their home many years ago and held back a smile as a few other faces in the crowd snapped it as if finally knowing where that song was from. Every single player in the room started grinning from ear to ear at the reminder of their real world, one that mirrored Iruka's as he sang. Seeing Iruka at home on the small stage at one end of the hall, Kakashi had a few words come to mind: charming, handsome, perfect. He tucked away that last one into his mind and instead focused on the other players and npcs as the night went on.

Through rock, pop and even a bit of Latin dance, the night went on and Kakashi found no sign of anything out of place. Keeping in touch with the others as they passed each other by occasionally, they too were without any leads. So, his eyes drifted back to Iruka and found that he was somewhere in the crowd of people, pumping them up and dancing along with npcs.

He did notice though when another man started getting too close. It made him uncomfortable to see someone dancing so close and so possessively near Iruka. Instinct told him to go over there. Another source caught his attention at the last second though.

An npc near the dais of the king and queen glanced over to the couple. Before they even turned completely, Kakashi was shooting off in their direction.

Just before the dagger sliced through Lord Senju's throat, Kakashi's old blade collided with it and sent it flying to the side. A moment later and Tsunade was between Lord Senju and his attacker with her giant great sword materialising out of invisibility, looking menacing even in her tight dress.

Within those few seconds as everyone's attention was elsewhere, Iruka was about to join in but felt the tingling of magic brewing behind him.

"Counterspell!" He called and the concentration on his Unearthly Chorus spell dissipated, knocking away a spell that the man who he had guessed correctly to be Darui sent towards him.

With a smirk, the darker man sent another spell flying his way but Iruka failed to counter in time. Just as it hit him, he realised that the man in front of him was an illusion and that the spell had been a decoy.

"Imprisonment: Minimus Containment." Were the last words he heard before his consciousness suddenly shut off.

* * *

"Thank you so much." Lord Senju had his hand on his wife's shoulder, the hall empty as the party nodded.

"Any time," Kurenai bowed and the rest followed suit as the lord hummed.

"There must be something I can do for you." He insisted but the group looked to each other and shrugged.

"That's alright, sir. We're happy to help."

He seemed unhappy with Kurenai's curt response and instead went over to the blade that had almost killed him, its owner long taken into custody. "Here, for saving our lives and as a token of our favour."

Holding out the black-hilted dagger, the party looked to the only man who could wield it and Kakashi stepped up.

As his hands touched the dagger, a number appeared above their heads to signal their new levels and the end of that level: level ninety-one. Only ten more levels to go and they would clear the game.

When Kakashi turned back to see everyone's relieved faces, he realised the only face he wanted to see wasn't there.

"Where's Iruka?"


	3. ACT 3

_Knights Errant® is an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Kneed universe. Players assume the roles of Errant heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Being "Massively Multiplayer," Knights Errant allows thousands of players to interact within the virtual world unlike any other. Whether adventuring together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory._

* * *

"What are you thinking?"

Looking at his partner, Kakashi mused, "It's really nice. Almost feels real."

Paradox took in his words and the world around them with his crimson eyes. "Yeah. It's easy to forget you're in a game."

They sat beside each other in the grass as the wind rolled through the countryside. Basking in the sunlight, the plains surrounded by forest and mountains were picturesque and the elf and tiefling were lost in their own thoughts until Paradox chuckled, "You know. Sometimes I forget in real life that I'm not in game and I go to message you like I would in game. My hands move and then people look at me like I'm losing my mind."

They chuckled and Kakashi didn't mention how he often did the same only to realise he didn't even know Paradox's real name.

* * *

"Where's Iruka?"

In the grand ballroom, the team froze as the guards and castle owners continued cleaning and working on going back to normal. Even the body of the assassin was slowly being cleaned up.

Gai turned to scan the room, stepping down towards the hall that was an offshoot to the kitchens where they had entered. The others called out Iruka's name but Kakashi had a bad feeling in his gut.

"Did anyone see him?" Hinata called out, stepping down too and heading towards the floor, where everyone had been dancing. "He was dancing, right?"

Without waiting for an answer, she dropped to her knees and closed her eyes. After a moment, she started to shine dimly. Clerical power surged within her and her eyes shot open to a soft lilac glow. Her eyes moved as if she was watching something, his head turned to follow the visions around her.

The spell lasted a minute and her eyes faded back to normal, squeezing them shut as she said, "Someone took him."

"Who?" Kurenai was by her side.

"It was a man… He had dark skin but light hair. He was wearing very nice clothing, but he used a spell to… Catch him?" She looked up, searching the group as she asked, "Does anyone know the spell Imprisonment?"

The group looked to each other, dumbfounded.

"Well," She continued. "Either way, he used that spell to put Iruka into a gem. And then he walked right out."

Their eyes were drawn to the door and the team found nothing else left to do but ask Lord Senju.

"Sir," Tsunade stepped up to the dais again, kneeling as she asked, "It seems as though one of our party members was taken from us and we were wondering if you knew anyone with prowess in the arcane.

"Arcane?" Lord Senju hummed and shook his head. "Forgive me. We haven't had anyone in our circles with that kind of knowledge in a long time. But… There might be some books at the libraries to help you."

Tsunade was thanking him as Kurenai asked if Hinata could commune with the dead man. With permission, they gathered around the body and Hinata explained, "Five questions. Ten minutes max."

After settling on what questions to ask, Hinata spoke with a wave of her hand over the body, "Speak with Dead."

The head of the man shivered and turned to the group slowly, sitting at attention.

"Who employed you to assassinate Lord Senju?" Kurenai started.

With a raspy whisper, the body grumbled out, "Her."

Kurenai gripped her pen in frustration at the vague response, Tsunade continued the questioning. "Was killing Lord Senju her only goal?"

"No."

"Then what was her other goal?"

"To find someone to grant her wish."

The group looked at each other, not knowing what that meant but that wording rang an alarm in Kakashi's mind and he stepped up to the group.

"Who was sent to find that person?" He asked to the group's surprise and the dead man answered.

"Business man."

* * *

Blinking, Iruka found that he was staring down the edge of a blade.

"Move and die." The same man who had imprisoned him said, looking bored and unfazed even as the same voice whispered in Iruka's head, 'They're watching us.'

"Turn around." Iruka was commanded and he did as he was told with much hesitation as the voice in his mind said, 'My name is Darui. Their holding my party hostage.'

'Who is they?' Iruka replied within the Message spell, feeling his hands being shackled behind his back.

'Npcs. They're trying to summon the end game boss, under the will of someone named Kaguya.'

At that message, Iruka tried not to show any changes in his expression even though he was completely terrified. This man wasn't an npc. He was a player and if his party had been taken before they had even finished the last level, it mean that Kaguya was an omnipresent figure. It meant that she had much more control of the game and was aware of the different levels.

'What does she want with me?' He replied, finally noticing that they were in a cart as there was a clicking behind him.

Darui sounded like he was walking away to the front of the cart and it lurched into action. 'You're a bard, right?'

'Yes,' Iruka hesitated, a dread pooling in his gut.

'It was either a bard, wizard or sorcerer.' Darui explained through the cantrip as the cart drove on through a thick, lush forest that was definitely not on the ninetieth floor. There was a shiver down Iruka's back when he realised what someone would need a magic user for if they didn't have anyone who could do what they needed.

* * *

Back in the quiet inn that they were using as their base, the team was gathered around a table as Kakashi explained, "Iruka and I were… Theorizing about this a bit ago. At the tenth, fourteenth and eighteenth levels, bards have a feature called magical secrets. They can choose two spells from any class and it counts as one of their own."

"Like Haste, right?" Gai's knowledge of spells was showing. "That one's usually for sorcerers and wizards, right?"

"And Counterspell." Kakashi agreed and took a breath as he continued, "There is a spell out there called Wish."

The group quickly tensed and shifted uncomfortably. "It's a ninth-level spell that does what it is named."

A magic wish. One that could grant any wish within game possibility. It was extremely overpowered and had almost no boundaries.

"Iruka chose that as one of his last magical secrets. He would've been a fool not to." Kakashi looked away from everyone's confused, horrified or sombre faces. "Even if he didn't, he could still cast the spell from a scroll if it had been copied by a wizard. The lynchpin is that… After it's been cast, there's a thirty-three percent chance that you will never be able to use it again."

"Not to mention the necrotic damage." Gai hummed. "And the reduced strength for a few days after."

With a nod, Kakashi hinted, "This woman probably needs someone to cast a spell for her and… If it's to grant a wish… That could be a literal thing. And he has three ninth-level spell slots. Triple what you'd get in Dungeons and Dragons."

"What do we do?" Hinata asked from her side of the table. "If she's really a bad woman, how can we even stop her or even find her? I don't have Scrying prepared-"

"Guys! Guys!" Tsunade called, putting up her hands to shush them. She closed her eyes and quickly said as if repeating from memory. "It's Iruka. Okay. With Darui. He's a hostage to Kaguya; going to her. Possible end-game boss. Floor One so far. Keep you posted."

"So, it was Darui." Kurenai mulled over, wondering everyone's true thoughts aloud, "Kaguya, huh?"

"This is level ninety, but we've leveled up to ninety-one." Kakashi started, the rest of the table looking up and watching his still figure leaned against the wall. "Since it looks like the levels aren't physical levels from now on, it means that between this one and her, there are eight levels left. I doubt they took Iruka for us to go on without him. If he was expendable and they didn't want us to go after him, they would've created an npc. I'm almost certain that the next challenges we face will be our level-ups."

Their table went quiet in the bustle of the inn, taking in everything they were being thrown into and how quickly everything was moving.

* * *

It was late in the night when they arrived. Iruka didn't know where they were specifically but according to the Messages he and Darui had been sending back and forth, they were somewhere past the Whispering Wood. The first level wasn't a small area unlike a few others he'd seen. In order to blow away the gaming community and draw people in, the first level was one of the biggest. The roaming plains and sprawling forests stretched on and on beyond what eyes could see but they hadn't gone terribly far by the time they got to a patch of land that looked like it had once been used for farming.

In the middle of the clear land, an old and withering farmhouse leaning precariously to the right and when they got closer Iruka wondered how old this was. The stones of the walls were covered in dying grass and the wooden roof had fallen in many places. They didn't go inside though. Darui drove the carriage around to the back, stopping right next to it before dropping to the ground.

"Come on," He ordered as he unlocked the shackles from where they had been attached to the floor, leading Iruka to the side of the house. Barely visible under the mound of old hay and twigs, he shouldered open one of two wooden doors in the ground. When Darui nodded to the entrance, Iruka glanced in. He couldn't see much in the moonlight, but it looked a lot deeper than just a cellar.

With a shove, Iruka stumbled down the first step. A hand pressed him down further as the cellar door shut them into darkness until a torch appeared in Darui's hand. Seeing the man's dark eyes watching him intently, Iruka wondered if she was watching them too. He couldn't feel her scrying on them, but he knew that there were magical objects out there that didn't set off his perception.

"Go on." Darui ordered, nodding down the steps and Iruka hesitantly started down into the dark before them.

* * *

Preparing to head out of the main spawn area, the team were strapping up horses, organizing packs and snacking before the long trek ahead of them. The night had gone by with little messages here and there of Iruka's progress like blips on a map that Kurenai was keeping track of carefully. They were small hints but helpful all the same; small descriptions of a house, tunnels, dark caverns and puzzle rooms. They at least knew to prepare for a journey; what felt like the last push for home.

"Hey, Kakashi." Gai called to him, glancing at the new dagger on his belt. "Have to attuned to that yet?"

Glancing down, he nodded and pulled the dagger out in thought. "I have but it's still a mystery to me. It's got amazing damage though so that's a plus."

"If you need someone to spar with on the way," Gai flashed him a grin. "Just let me know."

"If course, Gai." He replied just as a group of people approached them from up the road. Squinting into the light, they were surprised to see not only Yamato but almost a dozen other players who looked geared up and ready for a fight.

"Hope you guys don't mind if we join you." Yamato shook hands with Gai who took an uncharacteristically somber face.

"Of course not! But you do know we're off to face what might be the end, correct?"

With a knowing look between Yamato and Hinata, the druid nodded in understanding as he pointed a thumb at the small crowd of people behind them. "I do. So, does everyone else here."

The weight of this quest was starting to press down on them. There were no quests in their quest menu anymore. They were all on their own from now on and Kakashi knew that they would need all the help they could get.

After he thanked Yamato for his help and they had gathered themselves, the large group set out through the forests, following the trail that Kurenai had marked as she scouted ahead. She reported back to them every now and then with confirmation they were still following the trail.

Hinata watched as Tsunade talked strategies with the new group members and confirmed that they would travel in teams of two once they got to the underground tunnels. Hinata knew she would be paired with Kurenai. She was surprisingly the cleric with the most combat experience out of the others and she hoped that all her hard work would finally pay off.

There was one thing that bothered her though. The group was an odd number.

Looking over at the rogue who was bringing up the rear, she wondered what was going on inside Kakashi's head. He was normally one of the level-headed of the group who always had a grip on reality, but he was unusually quiet throughout their trip. She wondered if it was because he was lost in thought, worried or both. He and Iruka had obviously been close; partners in beta long before Hinata had ever met Kurenai and she had a deep admiration and love for her teacher.

"Ahn… Kakashi?" She spoke up once she had slowed down to his pace. When his intimidating gaze fell on her, she almost chickened out but held her ground. "I know that once we get there, you'll take over on the scouting ahead but… I'd like to cast Resistance on you before you go too far ahead, if that's okay with you."

The cold stare mellowed out into a familiar smile and he chuckled, "Thank you, Hinata. That would be very kind of you."

"It's no problem at all. Especially since it's a cantrip." She knew he was thinking rationally as always but she wanted to bring him a bit of hope. "Until we get Iruka back, I'll try and cover you as best I can."

Kakashi's gaze fell away and he looked to the rest of the group and said to her surprise, "As long as you don't risk your life for me."

His words hinted that she shouldn't follow him, and she knew that. She was a cleric; a healer and a support. His fighting style had been leveled up in accordance with another specific class by his side. In other words, she wasn't a bard.

* * *

The rumble of the rocks falling behind them and covering their path felt like it was sealing Iruka's fate. Darui had been leading them onward through the dark for a long time and Iruka was so tired. He was almost on the brink of sleep but Darui kept pulling at the chain, dragging him along behind. Dread was a feeling that had long pooled behind his tired eyes and he knew that his captor was on that same ledge, but they were both being driven on by the knowledge that someone was watching them. He kept wondering why he didn't run when he had the chance. Maybe it was his empathy for this man who was trapped just as much as he was.

'Tell your friends that there's another way to get in.' Darui didn't flinch one bit and Iruka followed without resistance as he was pulled down the hall. 'In the cavern before the block, there should be a path to the left. It's a bit precarious but it brings them around an unmonitored entrance.'

'Okay.' Was all Iruka could respond until he finally decided to push deeper. 'Have you been with your party long?'

'Yes.' Was Darui's muted response until Iruka could almost feel an internal sigh. 'My grandfather is in there. I hope you understand that this is where the game ends.'

His words reinforced the idea that the players in this game were real people. Iruka thought about the people he knew in real life and thanked his instincts to test the main release of the game.

He hoped the boy was eating well. Iruka missed him so much. Being with the team had helped him to forget about the real world. Well, all of them except Kakashi had. The idea of having the other man as a permanent fixture in his life was one, he dreamt of every time they had bickered about foods, went out for errands or just sat in the quiet living room reading while the others were fast asleep.

'Why us?' Iruka finally thought back to Darui.

'Well,' Darui started. 'I'd heard about you through Yamato. It was early on, but you seemed to work well together. There aren't many parties that are so driven anymore.'

There was a pause as the spell faded and was hesitantly recast with Darui saying somberly, 'Most had given up. We're almost there.'

* * *

Night had fallen upon the first level and the party stopped at the small, abandoned house to rest up before their long trek through the underground so they wouldn't take any points of exhaustion. Every two hours, the watch would change until Kakashi and Tsunade were up together on the last watch.

"He sounds fine." Tsunade said towards the end of the watch after another Sending spell. She didn't seem to be saying that just to Kakashi but to herself as well. "So far at least. He told me not too long ago that we're taking a different route than he did. Something about it being a secret and that Darui collapsed the way they came."

Kakashi nodded numbly but looked at her worried expression. Her eyes didn't betray much be he knew that she wasn't just saying those words to him.

"We'll be careful." Kakashi assured and found himself numb to the road ahead, the path that they were taking. The only thing he regretted was not spending enough time with them, with Iruka. He wished he would've waited just a bit longer at the edge of the Whispering Wood met the Clearings of Landerdale. For once, he wished he'd been late. "We'll get there in time. And then it'll all be over."

With her confidence bolstered, Kakashi felt comforted and sat with her as the sun slowly rose over the distant hills. He hoped he could at least see Iruka before it was too late.

"Alright," Gai and him were at the start of the steps down into the dark caverns below not long after and starting their journey down.

"Hey, Gai," Kakashi started after they had checked the entrance for traps and found nothing.

"Yes, Kakashi?" Gai's sincere grin was barely visible in the dark but it still brought a small smile to Kakashi's face.

"Can you promise me something?"

"Of course," Gai declared as they started ahead of the group with senses alert.

"If anything happens to me," He started and Gai's face was already serious. "Promise me you'll tell him I'm sorry."

Without any need for clarification, Gai nodded solemnly.

* * *

The dark tunnel had begun to even out into a smooth path, manmade. The stone was carved smooth and a light ahead told them that they were close. Iruka's tension spiked when he saw the ornate, rich rug and complex chandeliers that they strode under into what seemed like an underground castle. The stone walls were cut clean with small alcoves that featured assorted pieces like decorative weapons, paintings and vases. The chain rattled as Darui tugged Iruka forward, down a set of steps that led into a giant chamber with rounded ceilings, the rug under them continuing until the chamber's threshold and stopping before the doorway that opened into solid marble floors and walls that had anti-teleportation runes carved into them. Everything was beautiful, and it was the most absurdly opulent room he had ever seen in the entirety of the game.

Candles along the walls lit up the room but there was another source coming from above. When he was pulled into the room, he saw that the columns along the walls stretched up high before the ceiling sloped up. It didn't end though. The ceiling stretched up high into the dark before a small square of light shined down into the room, seemingly from somewhere on the surface. It must have been during the day. It reminded Iruka of how exhausted he was, how they had walked and rode through day and night to get there.

He hoped the group wasn't far behind. But he was worried of what was to come next.

At the back of the rounded chamber, a set of stairs stretched upwards and down. They headed up on the steps made from the same marble and it made him uneasy that the marble turned to rough stone again as they climbed the curling stairs. It seemed to go on and on, winding up farther than Iruka could see and he wondered if it reached the surface. It was more than unlikely if this was on the first level. Players on their first experience level stumbling down into the last was not a good way to plan out a game. And then it hit Iruka. How long had Darui been under her control? Had Darui stumbled down here by accident? Was there really a way out up there or had he found the same entrance they'd come from?

There were so many questions bubbling in him, but his mind went blank with utter confusion as they passed the next level and Iruka saw the bars of cells. He couldn't see beyond where they curved but he could tell that they wrapped in a circle against the room's walls, around that tube to the surface and he instinctively knew that Darui's team were making the small sounds of shuffling from the other side.

"Come on," Darui tugged at his lagging pace but the look Iruka saw on his face confirmed his thoughts.

The last room had a wooden door that was already open, waiting for them. They slowly stepped up until a soft, whispering voice said in their minds, "Finally."

Iruka felt his whole-body shiver when he was the robed figure that stepped into the doorway, Darui pulling them just onto the landing. He knew suddenly that this was very bad. This was very, very bad.

Burning yellow eyes shined out from beyond the darkness of the hood and it felt like Iruka was being pulled into death. He snapped his head away, watching Darui closely.

"I got what you wanted." Darui pulled Iruka's chain in reference and Iruka stumbled closer to them.

"Good." The figure seemed to not speak, and their voice was instead echoing into their heads, a raspy tone that felt uncomfortably close. "We'll wait until the exhaustion hits again and then we'll begin."

Going back down the steps was far worse than going up. Behind him, Iruka could feel the shining yellow eyes watching him and he wanted run so badly. He wished for the millionth time that night that he had taken Teleport instead of Dimension Door.

He already had two points of exhaustion. His speed was halved, his ability checks were already at a disadvantage and he could feel the third point creeping in with the hunger that was eating away at him. Pretty soon, he would have disadvantage on his attacks and saves. Then he would be three points away from death. This sucked so much.

Back down in the first and largest chamber, Iruka watched as Darui locked his chain onto a loop embedded into the ground. He noticed how the marble under the loop had been stained a rusty red and felt sick.

The dark figure motioned to Darui, saying words Iruka couldn't hear and the man left up the stairs again, leaving Iruka alone with the dreadful person he assumed was Kaguya.

"I'm assuming you need me for my spells." Iruka finally spat out through his fear.

There was a whining chuckle and they said, "Patience."

With a slow turn, the robed figure started away as the naked, pale man from before came up the steps to take his place. The lack of any human features and other definingly human traits though told Iruka that this wasn't a man. Only the burning golden eyes stared down at him and he felt them burning into the back on his head as he refused to look up. The man didn't move, didn't breathe or make any noise and it lulled Iruka into a false calm.

He was so tired. This was going to be his third day without sleep and he knew that this was a tactic to weaken him, to make him susceptible. And their plan was working because every time his knees wavered, the creature in front of him would send him a shocking punch.

Eyes filled with stars and falling off balance, Iruka was pulled back by the chains and was sent flying to the ground. Coughing and holding his head, he blinked away the spots in his vision to find the man still standing over him.

Every time his eyes slid closed or his headed nodded down, another swing would slam into him and throw him on the ground. He couldn't tell what time it was anymore. He didn't know how long he'd been there, but his health bar was slowly sliding into the orange at the corner of his vision with the third strike of exhaustion sitting right under it.

After staring up at the ceiling for so long, he wondered if he had memorized the runes yet.

'Iruka?'

The voice jolted Iruka more awake than the fist in front of him could and he nearly cried at hearing Hinata's voice in his head.

'Passed cave-in. Tell us how far until where you are and if you're okay. Hope you're okay. What's happening?'

It was just under twenty-five words, but he was so happy just to hear her voice. He had to plan his response though. He had to fit everything he'd seen in the twenty-five words allowed for the Sending spell. They weren't terribly far but he didn't know if the other path was extremely different, but he hoped it wasn't. He didn't know what was to come though other than being used to cast his Wish spell. He didn't know what Kaguya's Wish would be and he cursed himself for not pushing Darui to tell him more.

'Hour walk away. Underground lair. Four levels: basement, rune room, jail, leader's room. In second. Hostages. Strong guards. Planning Dominate Creature spell.'

Those small words were as clear and concise as he could make the situation and he hoped it helped. He didn't have any more third-level spell slots left and he hoped he didn't have to use others but as he heard the creaking of a door somewhere in the distance, he knew that wouldn't be the case.

* * *

"He sounded slurred." Hinata noted nervously after relaying everything to the group and Kakashi was already scouting up ahead through the slim tunnel that was leading them up a very soft incline. Even though he was thorough in checking for traps, her words hit him at the back of his mind and it spur him forward faster, the rest of the group hot on his trail.

"If we keep going at this pace, we should be there soon." Kurenai assured them from behind Kakashi, picking up the pace. "Maybe twenty minutes tops… Hopefully less."

"Remember everyone," Tsunade was pulling on her bracers quickly. Her calm confidence was a brief balm to their worry and they listened attentively. "Stick with your partner. Stay close but don't clump together. Once we're inside, hostages will be top priority but remember that this isn't a game anymore."

The thrill through the group was contagious and Kakashi felt it in himself too. They were so close to home, to real life. He wondered what was waiting for him on the other side, but he brought himself back to the present and who he was fighting for.

Their eager jog slowed down a few minutes later but walking fast had almost the same effect. As they kept moving, guided by the light Hinata had leading the way, the group made sure to be quick and as quiet as could be. There hadn't been any traps so far and it made Kakashi's hair stand on end. Whoever had made this tunnel had a lot of time on their hands. It looked like the stone had been moved by magic, each cut to clean too have been done by any tools in the game.

'Kakashi.' A familiar voice rushed into his head a few minutes later and he almost tripped. 'Kakashi. Kakashi.'

Iruka's voice rang out in his head with panic and horror. Slowing down his pace, Kakashi listened as the bard's terrified voice hurried, 'Please, Kakashi, please. I don't care what happens to me just… Please… Save him, please. Kakashi. Kakashi. Keep him safe, Kakashi."

Taking off in a full sprint, Kakashi could only reply, 'I'm coming.'

"Kakashi!" Someone behind him called out but it was lost in the chaos that followed.

With a flash of purple light, everyone had to stop and hold onto whatever they could when the ground suddenly trembled. It stopped just as fast as it came but the ground glowed with purple runes that Kakashi recognized faintly.

"It's starting. We have to hurry." He called to the others and they recovered quick enough to keep going. The tremor came again but this time it was a familiar one like the bass of a song as the runes pulsed with it. Another one and the runes followed again and soon enough it started to beat rhythmically under their feet. The echo of music finally hit their ears even though it was muffled, and they saw just the faintest sliver of light.

Another shiver in the earth threw them off balance and they stopped to recover, feeling it pulse around them as they braced themselves against the dust falling onto their heads.

Pushing against the anxiousness in his chest, Kakashi continued at a much stealthier pace and the rest followed without questioning his pace. They were coming up to the exit and they had to play quiet now. Just as they got within a few feet of the source, the music faded back, and everything went quiet except for their muted footsteps. Up ahead, Kakashi saw the beginnings of something covering the exit and as they got closer, it turned out to be a thin tapestry covering the exit.

Checking for any traps or people nearby, Kakashi motioned that the coast was clear, and the others slowly came up behind him. The tapestry was pulled aside, and they found themselves in a cavern full of treasures. Statues, vases, chests and other oddities filled the room and there was a heavy layer of coins covering almost everything and they carefully climbed down from the opening and into the dimly lit cave. Although everything was so lavish, there was a heavy layer of dust on it all. It seemed to only have been touched in their area and along a clean path that wound its way to the middle of the cavern and up a set of marble stairs.

A cry of pain cut through the air from far off and they all jolted. Instead of people running at them though, they once again saw that purple glow that ran over everything and started to pulse again. This time the familiar beat of music from their world hummed from the ceiling above them throughout the area and into their very core. As it beat on, Kakashi waved the group down the path to the stairs. They only paused when the runes glowed brighter, pulsing harder on the ceiling above them.

"Guys," Was Kurenai's soft whisper and those who heard looked over at the statue she was pointing at. "They're all the same woman."

Each statue might have been posed differently but the face with still the same: a plain-faced woman with a cold stare and no smile.

"They remind me of something." She explained as the music got louder with the end, unsettling everyone. "Gold statues as if she were a deity."

Taking her words into consideration, they made their way through the room until the song ended again with a lasting rumble.

They heard an echoing thump as if something had fallen and waited, listening as coughs were barely heard.

Voices up on the second level were heard but they couldn't make out words until another scream of pain hit their ears crystal clear and the magic that flowed into the ground started again.

But this time, it was more powerful than any of the ones before. Instead of music, white noise filled the air and the ground shook hard. Above them, the ceiling cracked and shook even more as pieces of rock above them started to fall to the ground. Snapping to their senses, they sprinted for the stairs just as the ceiling collapsed, barely missing them as they crashed into the treasure around them.

Caving in completely, the ceiling gave way to more of that coloured magic and they watched from the stairs as the pieces fell, crashing into the floor below and sending gold flying. From the hole that was left, Kakashi saw only the faintest of figures floating in the air at the source of the magic before the magic condensed and blasted down in a perfect cylinder. In the confusion of light and sound, Kakashi shielded his eyes and held onto whatever he could so that he wouldn't go flying.

And then there was nothing except the ringing in his ears. Blinking away the spots in his eyes, he squinted at the world around him to find that the magic had created a giant hole in the earth and the ceiling above. The dust settled more, and he could see cloudy sunlight shining down into the hole. The number ninety-two pulsed in the air and faded. He also saw when the figure outlined in purple magic stopped shining and plummeted down.

Without time to think, he almost ran forward but stopped himself when a colossal shriek came from the hole. Glancing back at the figure he knew was Iruka, he was so thankful to see his body lying limp near the edge of the hole instead of in its depths.

Kakashi looked back at his teammates who were getting on their feet again and Tsunade was already snapping her head back to him after seeing the same thing.

"Hinata. Kurenai." She snapped, and the two dust-covered women followed her hand, only nodding before hurrying down what was left of the steps towards Iruka's body.

As much as he wanted to follow, he remembered Iruka's words and their plan from before. So, he instead met Tsunade's gaze and hurried up the steps, following the others who were setting out to find Darui and his captured party.

On the second floor, they found several figures that were looking down into the hole expectantly as if waiting for something and another roar shook through the earth. But they paid no mind to the small group who were crouched by the entrance. Kakashi snuck up the next set of steps. Yamato followed behind while the rest covered their backs.

Stepping into the entrance of the next floor, they found that the floor and most of the walls had been blasted away. The cells were almost completely gone except for their back ends. The fronts had been completely blasted away and they could see a few people across the way cowering against the walls.

Seeing their group, a few stood and started looking for a way to get to them. In total, they saw an older man with dark skin and three kids who couldn't have been older than thirteen.

Carefully, the four picked their way around the bars into the other cells, holding on for dear life and helping each other until they came just within Kakashi's reach and he grabbed them by their collars, swinging them around into safety.

"Ahn!" They collapsed onto the ground, puffing just as another roar shook them.

"What even is that?" One of the boys demanded, peeking over the edge to look down into the hole only to have Kakashi pull him back.

"Oi," He snapped at the kid but watched the boy's face contort into horror.

Glancing down, he saw the ring of figures on the floor just below them. The pale, nude figures standing in a tight circle and still looking down into the hole expectantly.

"Kakashi." Yamato heaved, stepped down onto the landing from having run up the stairs to see the next floor. "We need to go. Now."

Without asking any more, they swept away the kids and old man down the steps. They only stopped when someone in black robes stepped into the entrance to the second floor, staring straight at them with yellow eyes as the other white people behind them continued to stare down at the hole.

Kakashi and Yamato moved in front of their charges, weary and unsure of what would happen next.

In a raspy, faint whisper in their heads, a voice said, 'Mother is coming.'

The voice started chuckling and Yamato pressed them out quickly, Kakashi watching their backs but finding that they weren't being followed.

Quickly, they followed Yamato's lead and hurried down the stairs. The rest of the group was already sprinting around the hole and back the path they'd came.

Feeling his legs starting to tingle, Kakashi ignored it and hurried everyone along, helping the kids into the crack behind the tapestry just as the ground started trembling unlike any other before. It was getting harder and closer and he slipped in behind the kids just as a screech sounded. He didn't look back. Instead, he followed the group deeper into the tunnel until the ground shook harder and something tore through the earth and stone behind them.

The rumbling continued only for another few seconds and then it ended with a loud, ancient bellow. Looking back, they saw that the tunnel ended much closer than they had thought, and the kids were staring at it in horrified awe.

Beyond them, Kakashi could see the rest of the group flop down against the tunnel's side and a warm, golden light grow from deep in the tunnel. He moved through the group to find its source, checking on the others and finding them safe and sound. As he got closer, he saw Tsunade, Kurenai and Hinata gathered around a body with Hinata's hands pressed against their chest. He saw the three red, digital exes and gripped the wall. He kept his mouth shut, jaw clenched tight as he watched Hinata cast with painful trepidation.

"Raise Dead," She said softly, and they watched for a while as she poured her heart and soul into the spell that she had never used before. They didn't even know if that kind of spell worked.

A trembling from above started but it was faint and seemed far away now. The light from Hinata's palms shed a glow and Kakashi held in the dead feeling in his chest at seeing Iruka's bloody and bruised face devoid of life.

The light of her spell drew the others near and everyone fell quiet until Kakashi caught sight of one of the boys. His face was pale and just as dead-looking as he felt. The other two kids looked over as he boy looked away and hurried away.

In the confined space, he heard a voice say, "I knew it. I knew I heard him! Dammit! I didn't even… Dammit!"

Iruka's last words to him were swirling in his head. Without knowing what he was doing, Kakashi walked over to them and plastered on a fake smile, "Ahn, so you're the one Iruka talked so much about."

The blond boy looked over at him from the little girl, his face red with tears but trying to not show it, "Who are you?"

"My name's Kakashi. I'm a member of Iruka's party." He looked back at the light deeper in the tunnel for a moment. "He asked me to watch out for you in case anything happens."

"Kakashi." Yamato called to him, nodding for him to come over towards where he, Tsunade and a few others were grouped up.

"Hang tight." He said to the kids. "This might take a while."

Turning his back to them, his smile dropped like a ton of bricks and listened in as Yamato started, "I think I know what that was."

They watched as he pulled out a scroll from inside his jacket and slowly unravelled it. With a calm voice that was underlined with worry, he slowly asked, "Do any of you play Dungeons and Dragons?"

"Yes," A few answered, only a few shaking their heads.

"Well… It looks like we just let Kaguya unleash a Tarrasque." While those who knew what that creature was processed this information, the others listened as he explained, "It's basically a monster created by the gods to eat everything in its path. And just like D&D lore, it was sleeping at the earth's core."

Rolling the scroll out on the ground, he showed everyone the sketches and diagrams that had been inked into it. "It looks like there had been magical barriers surrounding it for safe measure. Thirteen different barriers, one for each damage type and a fourteenth one that kept it sleeping. It seems like they used Iruka's Wish spell to cast Dispel Magic at the highest level without any limit on it's range."

"Based on the magic we saw on the way here, it looks like he cast it three times, burning through all his ninth-level spell slots." Tsunade mused and Kakashi's gaze drifted back to where Hinata was working with Kurenai as her support.

"What do we do then?" One of the newcomers asked.

After a moment, Yamato pondered, "It's immune to fire and poison. Any non-magical weapon is less than useless against it. Even some spells don't work against it. It can't even be affected by conditions… You know, charm, fright."

"This won't be an easy one," Gai said, even his attitude giving into their circumstances.

"But we all have magical weapons." Kakashi reminded. "It can still be stunned and knocked prone. We just have to be smart about this and make sure every hit counts."

"Go over your spells and attacks, see what will be most effective or useful" Tsunade advised them. "We'll be taking a bit of a break here and then we'll go over a plan."

She turned her back to them and went back into the tunnel.

Moving towards the opposite end, Kakashi dared a look out into the sheer drop below them and saw nothing but darkness below. Above, the large hole in the group was utterly mangled and the surface looked like it was caving in slightly. The surface looked to be more than ten stories away at least. On the opposite side, he saw the remnants of the underground hideout hanging on by threads, some pieces falling off into the abyss below.

Stepping back a few paces, he sat against the cave wall and started going through his things.

A few health potions were probably the most useful out of the whole thing. The grappling hook and rope would hopefully help to get out of there too. He let out a sigh and his eyes drifted back to his friends and their similarly sombre state. Out of all the fights he'd been in and all the people he'd coordinated in the past, he couldn't think properly. Even though their group was so small, and they were almost completely silent in the cave, he couldn't come up with a single idea or plan.

Outside there was the occasional roar and thundering of gargantuan steps. It felt like they were in a bunker, hiding away from certain death.

Shaking his head, he pushed away the dark thoughts and stood. The only thing he could do was provide support in that moment. So, he walked passed the others in their group and crouched as close as he could to the body. Tsunade watched him from where she sat by the feet and Hinata looked up, her hands still glowing and shedding light onto her face across from him. Finally looking at his partner, he saw how pale Iruka's body was, how his magical items were completely gone and how he had been stripped down to his basic clothes and shoes. Taking off his scarf and undoing his cloak, he let himself feel vulnerable just as Iruka's body was.

"Iruka," His words were barely whispers but they echoed in the silence around them. "I'll keep the promise I made. It's the least I can do. You've had to put up with me for so long, after all. I honestly don't know how you do it. But I'll stop teasing you. I'll be on time. I'll cook for you every night if it means you're here with us."

He fell quiet. The magic's light danced shadows across the unmoving face and Kakashi wished Iruka would just move a fraction, hoping with every fiber of his being that this spell would work. With a scoff, he admitted out loud, "You told me that you were there that first day… And that was my biggest regret, not waiting for you."

To his surprise, a prompt flashed onto his menu before his watering eyes but as clear as day. It was a die, twenty-sided with the numbers a simple black against off-white. He had never had anything like this happen, where he saw his role in-game, but he knew that Iruka's life was in his hands now.

Closing his eyes, he imagined flicking the die and waited with bated breath for the telling sound of a dice falling. A resounding clack made his heart jolt and the successive ones that followed made his heart beat faster and his whole-body tense up. He was almost too afraid to open his eyes but when he finally did, he saw what the die had fallen on and for the first time in his life, was so relieved at seeing the number fifteen.

The die faded off his menu and he watched as Hinata's warm glow rippled into lavender, slowly seeping into the body below it. Her surprised gasp stirred the group and their party moved in closer, watching her magic work and glow through the skin as Iruka's eyes shot open.

Gasping for air, he coughed violently, and they were sitting him up as they rubbed his back. Over his head, the number ninety-three pulsed again with their new level.

"Iruka!" Hinata was over the moon, smiling so brightly with tears pooling off her face. People began to crowd around the wonder that had happened even though Iruka's eyes were still blurry and unfocused.

"Okay, everyone, let him breathe." Tsunade had to remind them. Kakashi gave her his spot and moved to press against the wall out of everyone's way, taking in the moment of relief by himself.

"Just go up and talk to him," A girl's voice reached his ears and he looked over at the kids. The boy from before was wringing his hands and looking at them in trepidation with the girl gripping his arm, urging him to do something. Meeting the boy's eyes, Kakashi nodded his chin in Iruka's direction.

With an admirable determination that took Kakashi aback, the blond boy surged forward, calling out as he went, "Iruka!"

The small group around Iruka separated and Kakashi watched as a tired and weakened Iruka turned his head. Instantly, his eyes were filled with relief and a bittersweet happiness that Kakashi knew from when he saw first saw Gai in game.

"Hey, Naruto."

Eyes bursting with tears and a giant grin on his face, Naruto put his hands on his hips and asked loudly, "Finally done lazing around?"

Iruka's chuckles were cut short by Kurenai sudden defensive stance. Almost everyone was soon at the ready, waiting to see what she heard. Her notched arrow was pointing down the tunnel where footsteps were slowly becoming louder.

"Sorry for the intrusion." Stepping into their space, a weary Darui had his hands up in a show of harmlessness.

"Darui!" They heard the older man who they'd rescued as he scrambled to stand but he didn't go to the other man.

Kakashi moved to stand by Kurenai. She hesitated beside him when she didn't see his dagger drawn. Instead of confronting the other man with fear and hate, Kakashi simply asked, "How did you survive that mess?"

"The same way Kaguya's other minions did." Darui explained shortly. "Dimension door to the surface. That's how I got back here too if you're wondering."

"And how do we know that she's not controlling you?" Kakashi asked.

With a small smile, Darui looked beyond Kakashi to the older man who was anxiously waiting for the conflict to end. "Well, let's just say they don't have any leverage over me anymore."

"He's telling the truth." Hinata spoke up, shying away when eyes turned on her. As their cleric and the one with the highest insight, she was able to easily see through lies and deception, but it didn't make the others any less weary.

The group behind Kakashi shifted uncomfortably at those words but Darui continued on to say, "You're going to need me soon anyway, if you're going to try and kill that thing. And you'll need me for when they try to summon Kaguya."

"So that wasn't her." Iruka spoke up from his place and Darui simply nodded.

"I don't know their name but she's basically their deity, under her will before she left this plane. In a way, they're still attached to her. They want to bring her here and the tarrasque is supposed to be an offering to her."

Iruka took in this knowledge and Kakashi looked over at the bard. Their eyes met and Iruka gave a small nod of his head, a confirmation of sorts.

"Come join our round table then," Kakashi said as Kurenai lowered her bow and they stepped aside for him to join. As he moved forward, a number flashed up behind him, signaling their passing into level ninety-four.

* * *

Iruka barely listened as the group talked about stats and spells and strategies. After looking at the spells he had left, he knew in his mind that he was still useful and could pull off things, but his body and heart were tired. The responsibility of releasing the monster somewhere above weighed heavily on his mind. He couldn't even use his Wish spell anymore even if he had the spell slots for it. That last use had fallen into the thirty-three percent chance of never being able to cast the spell again and when he looked on his spell list on the menu, the spell was still written there but greyed out and untouchable.

"We'll teleport us eight up to the surface then and Aoba will teleport the others. We'll leave the kids, gramps and Iruka down here in the meantime." Iruka snapped his head up at those words.

"Wait a minute." He called out, using the burst of anger to struggle to his feet. Leaning against the wall, he demanded. "You can't be seriously considering leaving me down here."

"Iruka, you're at one hit point." Tsunade reminded, her arms crossed. "We can't have you die on us again and waste a Raise Dead spell."

Taken aback, Iruka gritted his teeth and spat out, "I have spells left. You need me as much as anyone else here."

"He has a point." Kakashi said and the group turned to his dark expression, arms equally crossed and just as uneasy at the thought. "We need all the help we can get. Iruka still has spell slots left and at the very least can be our backup."

With an aggravated huff, Tsunade gave in and asked, "At least tell us what spells you think might help."

Nodding, Iruka sat down with the group and went over the spells he had, only about half of the spells he knew were useful and the team whittled them down from there.

"We can box it in then." Darui suggested. "My Prismatic Wall has seven layers and for each layer it tries to go through, it will take a type of damage. This way, we get some damage in and we keep it trapped so we can hit it with all we've got."

"If anything, we always have some of Iruka's spells." Kakashi pointed out and the group agreed as he looked over at the bard who met his soft gaze.

Gearing up for the unknown on the surface, Kakashi stepped over to Iruka who leaned his weight against the wall.

"Ready, partner?" Kakashi asked as he shouldered Iruka's weight and helped him towards where Aoba and Darui were readying up.

"As I'll ever be." Was the faint whisper. "Just give me a minute."

Iruka pulled away from him slowly, feeling a surge of strength when Naruto popped into his view from across the group. Softly, he said, "Hey."

"Hi," Naruto said with a cheeky grin, standing from where he and the other two kids were talking. "Glad to see you're okay, Iruka."

"Thank you, Naruto." After a second of seeing the three of them together and wondering what travels they'd been through over the passed few months, Iruka kneeled and intently told them, "I don't know what you've been up to or how strong you are, but I have to ask you three to stay down here where its safe."

Naruto didn't argue for once and the situation felt even more dangerous than it had before. If even Naruto's wild and courageous nature didn't want to be up there, that meant that they were in for a lot more than they bargained for. With a strained smile, he changed the subject, "Besides, you haven't met my friends properly yet."

"And you haven't met mine!" Naruto agreed and Iruka ruffled his hair with a wink as he stood, making his way back to the group where Kakashi had been secretly paying attention.

He felt Iruka's hand snake around his waist tentatively and he didn't pull away, his arm moving back to Iruka's shoulders.

"Okay everyone," Aoba adjusted his glasses and addressed his group, waving them forward a bit. "Take my hands when you're ready."

After a few moments of fumbling, the group had a circle going and the Darui's circle had formed as well.

On Darui's count, they watched as the magic from both surrounded and instantly fell away to reveal dark skies and utter devastation.

About fifteen feet away from the giant hole, they appeared in the ruins of what was once the first spawn of the entire game. The town of Landerdale was no more other than broken pieces of stone and wood with the occasional wall here and there.

Kakashi snapped his head and found Darui's group only a few feet away and he motioned for everyone to find cover. Ducking behind a wall, the group watched as Kakashi poked his head out and scanned the area. He saw smoke in the distance and lines that had been torn into the earth in patterns that made no sense, as if a rampage had taken place. Movement in the distance to the North caught his attention and he saw a four-legged creature moving erratically. Thankfully, it was too far to see but Darui waved him over.

Quickly, he crouched by the other group as Darui explained, "They not going to be far, her followers. Their using a ritual to open the gate but they needed to set up a circle first."

"We should deal with that first and fast." Kakashi looked over at his group and motioned for Gai to come over. "We'll take a small group, stop them and head back."

Darui nodded and the three of them along with Kurenai and Yamato quietly hurried off to find their target, leaving the rest of the group to set up in the meantime.

They moved quickly through what used to be streets and shops around the circle, keeping tabs on each other and staying as undetectable as possible.

The next instant happened like lightning. Kakashi had only just stumbled upon the ritual that was being performed as a rift was forming in the air. Otherworldly and strange, the space above the robed figure rippled and seemed to tear itself in two, opening wide to nothing but darkness on the other side.

A pale, elegant hand stretched out of the black with an inhuman stillness. With arms stretched out to the hole, the summoner audibly giggled when the hand touched the top of its head, their voice crooning through their minds, "Mother."

"Dispel Magic!" Darui's voice called from across the circle and a flare of energy shot from him. It bounced harmlessly off the back of the portal but that set Kakashi into motion.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent a dagger flying and it embedded itself in the cloaked figure. It screeched, lurching to its knees as its concentration over the spell faltered. In seconds, the spell was lost, and the portal rippled, pulling the hand back in as it sucked itself up into nothing.

"No!" Was the horrified scream and they were still again, listening as a heart-stopping roar echoed in the distance. Out far in the distance, they saw the monster shift and move. They didn't have to think twice about what was happening.

Despite the danger, two numbers glowed in the sky very clearly: ninety-five.

They almost didn't see when the robed figure crumpled to the ground, unmoving for a second until the ground shook and an inky blackness shot out. Expanding quickly, it passed over all of them and Kakashi couldn't see anything, not even his own hands. Listening intently, he heard a surprised yelp where Yamato had been, and he shot in that direction, almost tripping over rubble in his path. Bumping into another body that sounded like his friend, he grabbed them and sprinted as far as he could until they stumbled out into the cloud light of day.

Yamato gasped and gripped a collapsed wall for a moment as they scanned the horizon. When he saw the hint of a cloak disappear around a corner, Kakashi shot off in that direction with Yamato calling out after him, "Kakashi! Wait!"

He didn't have to go far. Kakashi stopped only a few feet after when he saw a greatsword slash down, cutting through the robe and shoulder. The hood fell off and the thing underneath it was completely night black and inhuman.

A flash of magic made Tsunade drop her sword and stumble back momentarily, enough for it to run but Gai was already there waiting with a punch. It staggered back, giving Kakashi enough time to throw another dagger in its direction. This time, he'd thrown his newest, untested one. When it hit, there was a prompt in Kakashi's field of view that said: Follow.

Without knowing what it was, Kakashi had a moment of impulse and accepted it.

Suddenly, he had his dagger in hand right next to Gai and the creature. He snapped his arm down and it cut straight through, oozing a thick white substance out as the body fell limp to the ground.

Panting, Kakashi looked down on the dagger in hand and the others gave a happy cheer as the numbers ninety-six appeared over them.

But their happiness was short lived. The white gunk grew and grew until it pooled over Kakashi's feet and they suddenly felt numb, familiarly sensationless. He wavered and fell back as Gai called out, "Kakashi!"

Hands pulled at him and he gripped them tight as the ooze threatened to consume him completely.

"Gai!" Tsunade on the other hand was battling familiar humanoid creatures, white and inhuman. She violently ripped through one and smashed the other's head into the ground as the other two fought to pull Kakashi out of the slime, Yamato joining them in their battle.

"Goddamnit!" Tsunade growled out as he threw another back, a few others crawling over rubble towards her.

"Hang on, Kakashi!" Gai called and Yamato grunted loudly as they both tried their best, grinding their feet into the ground as they pulled on his arms.

"Babies." Tsunade was suddenly there, reaching between Kakashi's arms into the slime around his neck and dragged him out of the muck in one fell swoop, a sucking sound the only reminder Kakashi was even in there. She frowned at them as if they were children, behind her the white creatures that had been on her taken care of.

From where they came, Darui and Kurenai jogged over.

"Acid Splash," The wizard mumbled as he clear fluid erupted from his hands onto the gurgling creature, the white threatening to bite as his feet but he backed off quickly.

Slowly, the ooze screeched in pain as Darui recast the cantrip over and over until nothing remained. The rest of the group had reconvened to watch, Hinata by Iruka's side to keep him steady. In the distance beyond, the monster that was headed towards them was coming much closer by the second and they looked at each other, scared but giving into the reality that this was their last stand. Their last fight.

Above them, the number ninety-seven glowed in the sky.


	4. LOG OFF

_Knights Errant® is an online role-playing experience set in the award-winning Kneed universe. Players assume the roles of Errant heroes as they explore, adventure, and quest across a vast world. Being "Massively Multiplayer," Knights Errant allows thousands of players to interact within the virtual world unlike any other. Whether adventuring together or fighting against each other in epic battles, players will form friendships, forge alliances, and compete with enemies for power and glory._

* * *

Arms and legs working like mad, the tarrasque charged forward towards the sounds it had heard. With his horns rearing on its head, it was eager to eat more than what it had already. More food to satiate its unending hunger.

"Iruka." Kakashi squeezed his hand and the bard looked over at him.

He wasn't as exhausted as before, Hinata had dumped a few spells into him to cut it down to one point instead of three. The health potions in his belly were more than helpful at bringing him up to half health but he was still afraid. He was trying not to let it show but this would be their final standoff and it was starting with him. As the magic user with the most experience, he was tasked with holding the monster in place while Aoba and Darui set up.

Nodding, Iruka watched Kakashi leave to join the others while Iruka stayed where he was only a few dozen feet away from the hole that the beast had awoken from. He felt unsettled having his back to it but not only was it the safest place to be, but this was where he was in charge of laying down his walls while Aoba and Darui were hidden off to his right and left, waiting for the right time to jump in.

By himself, watching the monster charge closer towards him, getting closer and closer. He felt so naked without any armour on. He didn't even have a cloak, but he had his spells. So, when the tarrasque was close enough for Iruka to see its scaly, grey hide and its beady eyes, he channelled the magic deep within him and waited only a few more seconds until it got within range. Flicking his wrist towards the charging beast, he muttered, "Hold Monster."

The tarrasque seemed to shrug off the effect of it and Iruka tried again, fear surging through him. Suddenly it froze mid-stride and the rest of his party stood, casting each their spells as invisible, shimmering walls appeared around it. It wasn't completely boxed in, only caged in by large panels of the spells so that it was caught. The kicker though was Darui's.

"Prismatic Wall!" The wizard cast quickly, and a multi-colored plane of light stretched up to box the tarrasque in. Darui then sprinted over to another side and cast the same spell Iruka had Aoba had. A loud shriek from inside its mouth rang through their ears but that didn't stop the giant eagle that was soaring up above the monster and its cage, the party on its back readying their attacks.

Iruka kept his concentration on the wall up and he saw Tsunade and Gai hurry into the box to slash at the monster's legs before dashing out, getting a few cheeky hits in. The others above sent arrows and daggers flying down onto the monster too. They only faltered when the minute of Hold Monster ended. Falling only all fours, the creature let out a scream so loud that everyone winced. It smashed itself against the hold of the walls until it hit the multi-coloured one and a flash of red energy shot out a blast of fire that didn't even startle the creature.

Iruka's turn was up again but he couldn't let go of his concentration on the spell, so he backed away, moving a safer distance away from the beast as his party continued to get more hits in. There was another smash against the colourful wall, but the orange's acid actually did some damage to it. From this distance, Iruka could see it writhe in pain, but it continued to slam itself into the walls. A flash of yellow caused lightning damage even though the green layer of poison did nothing and the blue was almost as strong.

All the while, Iruka watched with growing hope as his friends and acquaintances slowly broke down the creature's thick skin and actually did some damage. The hope didn't last long though.

The indigo layer of Darui's wall sparked but there was no effect and the violet layer caved under the pressed, the tarrasque stumbling away from their enclosure. It was supposed to have lasted for ten minutes but only about five had passed.

Ducking for cover behind a collapsed wall, Iruka hope that he hadn't been seen. The thundering steps were shaking his entire being and the cry of the beast seemed even closer now. There was a rush of steps and Iruka peeked out on his turn to see Darui running at top speed towards him.

"Shit, shit, shit." Darui was muttering as he dove down next to Iruka who pulled him in close.

"Did it see you?" Iruka demanded only to hear the answer as a roar and the crashing of running behind them as the tarrasque barrelled their way. In a moment of pure adrenaline, Iruka and Darui cried out in surprise, sprinting off to the direct right as it grated through the ground where they had been only milliseconds before.

"Eyebite: Sickened!" Iruka called out when they briefly shot back at the creature. He didn't need to see if the effect worked before Darui was up right behind him.

"Sunburst!" Was Darui's confident call and a ray of radiant damage shot from his hand, hitting the tarrasque for the full damage. As the tarrasque screeched behind them, reeling back, the bard and wizard kept running towards where their friends were.

Tsunade and Gai were both waving them over as the giant eagle swooped down above the monster and sent another few shots its way. As their enemy was distracted, the rest of the team reconvened and Gai patted a purely shell-shocked Darui's shoulder. "Good job, guys. We're making progress."

"We just have to keep hitting it." Tsunade said eloquently. Taking a breather, Iruka nodded.

A screech of an eagle flew overhead, and their eyes grew wide.

They barely managed to get out of the way as the tarrasque plowed through where they had been hiding but Tsunade didn't have the dexterity that they did. She was just the tiniest bit slower and that put her right in the path of the tarrasque's tail.

With a surprised yelp, her body was thrown passed them and Iruka looked back to see the beady eyes on them, grinding to a halt before stomping straight for them. Their hearts almost stopped dead until Darui cast another Sunburst.

Panicked, they had just enough time to Tsunade who was thankfully standing before the tarrasque shook off the blindness and ran for them.

Stepping up automatically, Darui cast a spell that Iruka knew almost instantly wouldn't work and he dove for the three of them right after he heard the words, "Wall of Stone!"

From the ground right in front of them, a thick wall shot out of the ground just in time for the tarrasque to smash its way straight through it to all but Iruka's surprise. As stone came crashing down onto them with the monster, Iruka was already casting Teleport and suddenly they were a few hundred feet away completely unharmed.

"Fuck." Darui swore in shock.

Heaving and trying to catch their breath, they hunkered down behind a patch of stone as they saw a giant eagle flying back their way.

"I can't get a hit on it unless it's immobile." Tsunade admitted and Gai agreed.

"Iruka," Darui looked at him and asked, "You still have Hold Monster, right?"

Nodding Iruka confirmed, "About six more left unless I use my higher-level spells."

"And how far away do you need to be to cast it?"

"Ninety feet." Iruka reminded after, "But it doesn't work sometimes. I had to use it twice back there."

Darui hummed thoughtfully while Tsunade said, "It doesn't even look like it's taking much damage."

"That's the natural armour," Iruka provided and he looked at his spell list again, taking in everyone's lowered health. "Here."

Taking the hands of each person there, he took a few minutes to cast Regeneration on all three of them.

They thanked him, and he slowly watched their health climb back up. "That should last for an hour."

"Hasn't even been ten minutes." Darui commented and they steeled themselves up again when they heard the tarrasque screeching nearby. They saw the eagle carrying their teammates not far above the creature, arrows being shot down at it and spells flying down onto it. It was with horror that they watched the tarrasque jump and claw at the giant eagle, sending people flying off its back.

Iruka wasn't even thinking when he cast Dimension Door to where they were. All he knew was that he had to get there and when he did, he grabbed onto whoever he could. The tarrasque's large maw was only a few feet away though and about to bite down. On instinct, Iruka pulled the other people in his grasp closer and cast Teleport just as a bite was about to be on them. Appearing in the place he'd just been, he found Hinata and three of the newcomers had been taken with him.

Aoba appeared a few feet away with a relieving four others but Iruka didn't see the one person who was missing, and he snapped his head back to the tarrasque.

He spied the person just as they blinked out of existence and reappeared right on the beast's head with it screaming under them. Iruka knew exactly who it was, and he couldn't help it when he used Dimension Door to get closer, only a few dozen feet away but within range and able to see what was going on more clearly behind a pile of rumble. Within seconds, Kakashi had attacked twice, slicing through at the back of the neck to little effect other than the creature finding where he was. A claw came up and swiped, missing but the tail came up too and sent Kakashi flying off, his body hitting the ground and rolling hard.

Swearing, Iruka saw his opportunity when he heard Yamato's voice across the way call, "Sunburst!"

A flash of distracting light signalled Iruka's chance and he hurried towards the limp figure on the ground. It was such a relief to see Kakashi move and try to stand. Helping the other man up, they limped back to cover and Iruka sat him down. He was at about half health just from one hit and Iruka quickly put his hands on the other man and cast at fourth level, "Cure Wounds."

Under his hands, Kakashi looked up at him with a playful smirk, "Fancy meeting you here."

They both sputtered out nervous chuckles and Iruka felt his chest swell with emotion even though they were in such a horrible situation. As if feeling the same thing, Kakashi boldly pulled Iruka over to him, hugging the other man tenderly as he said in Iruka's ear, "Thank you."

Hugging him back, Iruka savoured the moment of calm in the storm. "Any time."

A cry pulled them apart and they saw a body being thrown far, away from where the rest of the group was. Looking at each other, they found the same uncertainty and fear but Kakashi hardened himself and reeled in his confidence.

"Iruka. What spells do you have left and how many slots?" After Iruka went through them, he pondered and wondered aloud, "Do you think Darui or Aoba have reverse gravity?"

"Probably. What do you have in mind?"

Humming, Kakashi asked, "Do you remember the moon temple?"

"Yeah," Iruka begrudgingly remembered how much pain he'd been in the next morning from falling so much.

"If you have your Wall of Force under it, would that be force damage or bludgeoning?" Kakashi mused aloud and they grinned at each other.

"Doesn't hurt to try." Iruka said, remembering seeing Kakashi blinking out of existence and reappearing to high. "How… The teleporting thing."

Knowingly, Kakashi nodded and pulled a new dagger Iruka had never seen out of his blinkback belt. "The assassin that tried to kill Lord Senju had it. It has a feature where

They were suddenly going through a Dimension Door to the others. They found Hinata healing Yamato who looked worse for wear after being magically brought over and explained their idea.

"Even if it doesn't work, at least we'll have a prone tarrasque to take advantage of." Gai was as positive as ever and the team agreed on timing quickly before breaking up into groups again.

With Kakashi by his side, Iruka was right by the tarrasque's side when Darui cast Reverse Gravity. Within a minute, Iruka had cast Haste on Kakashi and they had a Wall of Force laid flat on the ground below with Aoba throwing a few Acid Splashes onto it for good measure. And then the huge beast fell onto it and it cried out in pain, flailing to sit up but Kakashi was already throwing daggers. Tsunade and Gai weren't far behind, dishing out as many hits as possible until the tarrasque suddenly flailed and threw them off. Getting back on its feet, it very violently and quickly thrashed.

Before anyone could react, they were thrown back and off their feet. There was a roar. There was a slam and Iruka could only see the monstrous hoof that pulled up splattered with blood, a name on their party list falling dark. The tail whipped just over Iruka's head and he tried his hardest to avoid any strikes. He wasted more spells than he wanted just to keep himself from getting hit or snapped up and he watched in terror as a body was thrown up into the air before it disappeared into an open maw.

Shocked and horrified, Iruka almost didn't react in time to the foot that came down onto him. In a split second, he threw up another Wall of Force and saw it slam down onto the invisible barrier just above his head. He snapped out of his shock and looked for anyone else at all nearby. He saw blood. He saw moving bodies too but the tarrasque was so loud and moving so quickly he couldn't concentrate. The foot suddenly moved away and instead the tail came rushing in from the side. He had been about to cast Dimension Door, but the tail clipped his shoulder before he could. It all happened so fast but Iruka found himself on the ground and in pain all over. He barely had the strength to Dimension Door away properly before he was hit again.

Now about a hundred feet away, he stood to see the people running around its feet, Yamato's giant eagle form above trying to be helpful and the carnage the monster was doing, the mess of rock, dust and dirt that was being thrown around too.

His frustration kicked in, angry at himself and annoyed that everything was falling apart. Throwing a few Cure Wounds onto himself to bring him back up to half health again, he squared his shoulders and did the only thing he knew how to do well and that was being a nuisance.

"Acid Arrow." He said after stepping a few feet closer and saw it land. He cast it another time. Again, and again, he kept casting until he got the tarrasque's attention and the beady eyes stared down at him from that far away. Slowly, it moved in his direction before letting out a growing roar and sprinting for him. Heart jumping, Iruka started backing up until he saw Yamato flying at top speed in their direction. Iruka nodded at the bird and waited until it was almost too late and got out of there. He landed from his spell by Tsunade who jumped at his arrival.

"Iruka!" She gasped, and he leaned on her as his body weakened, both looking on as the tarrasque stopped hard, grinding farther away from the speed.

"Storm of Vengeance!" Yamato's voice echoed and swirling dark cloud immediately coalesced, rolling into a swirling vortex around the tarrasque of acid, lightning and cold winds.

Someone stepped up next to them and Iruka was so relieved to see Kakashi alive at that point that he could only sigh happily when Kakashi said, "Hey."

"Here, take this." Iruka was shifted over to Kakashi as Tsunade picked through the mess to find her weapon. Blearily watching everything, Iruka vaguely saw people of their group coming closer, readying themselves for another around. He almost didn't notice the arms that went around his chest and waist or the cheek that was pressed against the top of his head. Leaning against each other, Iruka savoured the last moment of calm he knew they'd get before it was all over.

Soon enough, the cloud started dissipating and the tarrasque was once again swiping at the bird, but Yamato knew better this time and was higher up. Darui and Aoba were stepping up in front of the group, readying to cast spells by the looks of it and Iruka reluctantly pulled away from Kakashi's warm touch to stand closer, at the ready for the beast came charging towards them. When it did, following Yamato's hurried pace, they hardened their hearts and took stances.

"Chain Lightning!" Aoba and Darui called together and bolts of lighting shot from their fingers and impacted the tarrasque but didn't stop its pace. Another shot together that hit the beast and they bolted to the side. In their place, Iruka felt that same terror of facing such a horrible beast head on but he kept his head straight and watched as Tsunade, Kakashi and Gai ran forward head on to meet it.

With as much confidence as he could muster, he cast, "Hold Monster!"

Once again, it froze mid-step as they heard Darui and Aoba cast again together, "Sunburst!"

The blows that followed were a mess of attacks that were all focused on one leg. The screech the tarrasque made was suppressed within it until the spell on it faded and tried to stamp on the bugs beneath it to no success, sending dust and rocks flying. Iruka saw a dagger fly out of the dust and strike the tarrasque right in its eye.

Hurt and angry, its screech was ear-piercing and suddenly there was a rogue right in front of its face, slicing down hard. Blood flew and Kakashi flipped, landing on the head.

In a stroke of impulse, Iruka found where Gai and Tsunade were and cast quickly before they could move, "Bones of the Earth."

From the ground below them, he watched as Gai and Tsunade were raised high in the air on thick pillars of stone. Jumping onto the back of the beast, they hurried towards Kakashi as the tarrasque destroyed the pillars easily with its shoulder and tail. He heard weapons doing work but didn't have time to even hope they'd be okay because the tarrasque already thrashing in anger.

Through the roars and sounds of heavy steps falling, he heard spells being called and saw light blasting through the air again against the tarrasque's skin, burning holes through the carcass every now and then. Rearing up, Iruka saw people thrown off but this time, he didn't react in time to help. He was distracted by the barrage of crows swirling in the air, pecking and flying into the monster's eye and the socket where the other used to be.

"Disintegrate!" Someone called a beam of blast against the monster's head.

And that was the last straw. In a whirl of wind and screaming, the tarrasque's scaly tail and limbs flailed in a confusion that hit almost everything in its path and it was just barely out of its range, but he saw people go flying even further than where he was standing.

A body flew right over his head. "Holy fuck."

Hurrying over, he found Darui groaning and struggling to stand.

"Wait, wait," Iruka dropped to his knees and drop a few healing spells into the other man only to have Darui look up at him in awe and confusion. Iruka knew that Darui was just as confused as Iruka was about the bard wasting spells on the person who had dragged them into their mess but Iruka just flashed a weary smile.

"Thanks," Darui said when he was back on his feet, both eyeing the rampaging monster not that far away behind an outcrop of stones. Darui admitted after a moment, "I've got two spell slots left."

"Four." Iruka replied and they both shared a look of worry. "Should I try to hold it one more time? Give it one last shot?"

Darui nodded, getting ready to run forward to be in range for his spells. "Last time."

"Just don't hit our friends."

The words Iruka used echoed in his head and he held onto them, hurrying forward as he heard Iruka cast Hold Monster behind him, throwing out as he ran, "Disintegrate!"

The beam shot out of his finger and he almost didn't have time to dodge the mouth that came for him immediately after, the spell that held it in place failing. Rocks and stone were uprooted behind him, throwing him off balance and he fell easily as rocks and stones pinned him down.

Looking back up at the gargantuan creature above him, he felt his entire being struck with a fear that froze him in place as it descended upon him.

Out of complete nowhere, he heard a voice call out, "Hey, asshole! Take a bite out of this!"

A familiar blond boy jumped into view and slashed a rust sword right against the tarrasque's unflinching face. Landing right above Darui's prone body, Naruto took a stance and before any of them could move or react, a dagger imbedded itself into the hole where one of the tarrasque's eyes used to be. About to roar, the tarrasque didn't expect Kakashi to flash before his eyes again, sinking the dagger deeper into its skull and going as far in as he could.

The roar caught in its throat and Kakashi was shaken off when it reared up. He dropped to the ground, pushing Naruto back as the monster almost whimpered and stumbled back.

With a final cry of agony, the giant, grey scaled monster fell onto its side. It didn't move again, it didn't make a sound, and everything went quiet. A ninety-eight was shining above the dead tarrasque's head.

It was Naruto who let out a whoop of excitement and Kakashi understood why Iruka cared so much about the brat.

"Ahn!" Darui's pained cry drew their attention and they hurried to push the debris off him, helping him to stand even though he was limping.

"Naruto!"

The boy flinched automatically and hide behind Kakashi as a battered and wounded Iruka came storming their way.

"Don't you dare hide from me!" Iruka snapped and Kakashi stepped up.

"Ahn, Iruka, there you are." Kakashi cooed, pulling Iruka in for a mug even though the man was too worked up to care in that moment. "I've been so worried!"

"Iruka! I just wanted to help!" Naruto whined, backing off and leaving Darui to wobble by himself.

"When I get my hands on you," Iruka started to mutter but Kakashi's sudden hug turned warmed and more intimate, throwing him into a flustered struggle between being angry at Naruto or sheepish of Kakashi's public show of affection. Grunting, he settled for glaring daggers and patting Kakashi's shoulder.

"Kakashi!" A voice called out and Kakashi finally let go to accept a hug from Gai who was almost in happy tears. "Finally! You've done it!"

"We did it." Kakashi emphasized and Iruka noticed the other who were getting up and brushing themselves off. Yamato dropped onto a shelf of rocks with a sigh. Aoba was staring up in bliss at the sky that was slowly starting to clear up.

"Hinata!" A voice called from far off and Iruka stepped around tall stoned and mounds to find Tsunade stepping over the battlefield. Seeing Iruka, she quickly said, "I can't find them."

"Kurenai!" Iruka called out and started scanning the uneven horizon of wood and stone that was once Landerdale.

Sharing a worried look, they started combing through the area and the others joined in their search too until Tsunade made a sound that drew their attention.

Upon approach, they saw the blood splatter and the gore. Even closer, they could hear soft weeping and they found Hinata on her knees, casting a spell into something that could barely be called a body. It was mangled and broken beyond belief, as if it had been squished.

"Hinata…" Tsunade said slowly, her shaking hands reaching out for the girl. "That's not going to work… She doesn't… Most of her is gone."

Gritting her teeth and finally pulling her hands away, Hinata's small form shook. The rest stood in silence, not knowing what to do or how to help. She finally let out her pained sobs, crying out in an agony that hurt everyone there.

Between the tears and the pain that everyone felt, Hinata was shocked into silence when a pair of arms wrapped around her. Her tears overflowed suddenly, and she wept into the shoulder that Naruto had quietly given.

* * *

"Raise Dead wouldn't work?" Iruka asked Yamato after they'd stepped a ways away.

The other man should his head regretfully. "You have to have a full body for that or else it automatically fails."

Sitting together, they watched Kakashi walking over to the group near Hinata to suggest what the three of them had just discussed. It appeared the other agreed, waiting on Hinata's small nod.

They stood and started towards the others and Yamato quiet wished aloud, "If only this game had True Resurrection."

"If it did," Iruka replied. "Then we'd have no reason to actually play the game."

The others had started to gather rocks and stones nearby. Setting the bloodied stones atop the body, they slowly made a mound that covered what was left of Kurenai until it made a hill of rocks and stones.

Quietly, Yamato used his druid magic to meld the stone and rock together, creating a smooth surface over the grave and pushing away all the rocks and stones that surrounded it for a few dozen feet.

Two other small heads had emerged from where they'd been hiding. It took one looked at Naruto and his serious expression as he had his hand on Hinata's shoulder to know that this was a grave time, so they kept their distance. The rest of the group though gathered around and said a few words. They spoke of her bravery and her love, how she had a passion for being with everyone. She'd been a valiant member of their group and with every word that was said, the atmosphere felt even more cold and unloving.

With a few words to the other people who were lost to the beast, they took a few moments of silence and not a single eye in the vicinity was without tears.

And slowly a bright, glimmer number appeared over the grave, signaling the end of this chapter.

A few backed away after a bit, dealing with the pain in their own way.

 _A new quest has been added to your Quest List: Goodbyes_

Kakashi watched his friends slowly fall away and offered a comforting hand where he could. It slowly dawned on him that this may be the last time he'd see most of them. Above them, the sunny skies were shifting, and the sun was falling fast into the horizon. The blue shimmered until the grey underside of the level above them came into view. It seemed to tremble and the edges of it started fraying quiet, pieces just floating away. The people below didn't even notice anymore.

"Thanks for everything," Kakashi said again to Yamato and the druid nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets and giving a sad smile.

"Maybe we'll see each other again someday."

"Of course," Kakashi put his hand on Yamato's shoulder and found Gai with Tsunade.

They looked over at him and smiled that same sad smile, knowing that these were their final moments. The end of all they'd been working to the last few months.

"Looks like we're done here." Tsunade said through veiled pain. "I'm not going to lie, I'll miss you all."

"Don't miss us too hard, Tsunade." Gai put on a strong face and said brightly, "We'll be together again soon; in real life!"

"Of course. You'll have to buy me a drink." They laughed softly and Gai struck a pose with his hands on his hips.

"Looks like my last quest has been completed with my goodbyes to you too." He explained, the edge of his form shimmering softly. "Thank you for all the good times, my friends!"

And then his form imploded into pixels, Tsunade looking at him with a chuckle.

"Guess you're off too." Kakashi guessed and she nodded.

"It's been fun, brat." And he nodded a goodbye as she too imploded out of the server.

His quest list shortened, and he looked over to the girl standing quietly by herself near the smooth stone.

"Hinata."

She snapped out of her reverie, rubbing her eyes. Saying as if everything were normal. "Ahn, Kakashi! I supposed this is goodbye."

"It is." He agreed, looking at the grave and back to the girl. "Not just to me either."

Her eyes turned to the grave and nodded. "I know… It's just not easy."

"It would be better to face the real her, wouldn't it?" He gave her head a pat and she nodded with a watery smile.

"Thank you, Kakashi." She too was gone.

That left just him and the person he was dreading talking to the most.

Looking over towards the setting sun, he saw the Iruka's back facing him and his hair half falling from his ponytail.

As he approached, Iruka said without looking back, "We should do it like a band aid, just rip it off."

"Yeah," Kakashi agreed faintly, the wrench in his chest turning painfully.

And then Iruka turned to him, eyes glimmering with tears and the sun's rays. He looked beat and bruised, tired beyond belief and utter devastated. But he smiled at Kakashi, bittersweet and happy. "It's over."

And it seemed like it was more than just over in the game. It felt like what they had built and things they'd been through were crumbling away even though the emotions and memories were still there.

"It's over." Kakashi agreed, his legs stepping forwards even though he couldn't feel them anymore. But he didn't miss them one bit. All he wanted to keep were these feelings he had, these memories and the man in front of him. He wanted that so much and he couldn't stop his hands from reaching out, pulling Iruka into his arms and feeling the weight of arms wrapping around him.

Feeling the wetness on his cheeks and the warm body against him, he never wanted it to end but everything was washing over white and the last thing he heard was that familiar voice that tugged at his heart whispering against his ear, "Kakashi."

He hoped Iruka had heard him say his name back. He hoped that Iruka had felt his arms tighten and he wished he'd said those three words but by the time they were formulated on his tongue, everything faded away.

And he was staring at white.

 _Thank you for playing Knights Errant._

 _You have now completed Story Mode._

 _Multiplayer Mode has now been unlocked._

 _For Story Mode playback, go to your Main Menu under Life._

 _Would you like to return to the Main Menu or Exit?_

Blinking awake, Kakashi saw the white ceiling above him through the tint in the headgear and pulled up a hand to see that he was hooked up to a tube. Slowly sitting up, he felt no aches or pains except around his head and ears. Pulling up the visor and sliding out of the gear, he found himself in a hospital room just like he'd expected but he didn't expect to see that it was night out. He didn't expect to feel like he'd just taken a long nap and was ready to go.

He didn't expect to see the man sitting a chair in the corner, slumped asleep.

"Dad?" He said aloud with a voice that wasn't scratchy thinned from disuse.

The older man snorted awake with a start, sitting up with wide dark eyes. Gripping the hat in his lap, he stood and came forward so Kakashi could see him better. He looked tired and messy. There was a stain on his dress shirt and his hair was wild in a way Kakashi had never seen.

"You're awake." Sakumo said tentatively, moving to Kakashi's side of the bed.

"Yeah… I…" He looked around and saw his wheelchair folded away against the wall. "We finally beat it."

Sakumo didn't say anything for a long time, nodding grimly and setting his hat down near Kakashi's feet. "Yeah?"

There was an unsure feeling in his chest and Kakashi said faintly, "Yeah."

He felt like he was forgetting something. But what was he forgetting?

And then it hit him: his friends, their foes, the whole time he'd spent in the game and the voice that was permanently ingrained into his brain. There were feelings he felt deep down, and he realised while he hadn't seen his dad in almost a year before he went in game.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…" Looking taken aback, Sakumo sat down on the edge of the bed next to Kakashi's legs. "I came to see my son. I was so worried when they announced players were stuck in game. I didn't know how long you'd be in there or if you'd ever come out at all, but I didn't want my son to waste away in that empty apartment."

He breathed and calmed himself back down, reeling in his emotions before saying softly, "I know it doesn't matter now but at least you're in good hands."

Hands curled in the sheets around his waist, Kakashi thought to their relationship before and he smiled. He put away all the past frustration towards each other and muttered, "Thank you."

Sakumo's shocked face fell into a similar smile and Kakashi was pulled in for a hug that he didn't shy from.

"You're okay now though." Sakumo confirmed and pulled away, moving to the hall as he said, "You must be starving."

Reminded of bodily functions, Kakashi chuckled, "So much. What have they even been feeding me this whole time?"

"Well, it's been mostly a liquid diet," Sakumo nodded to the drip.

"I'm surprised I'm not a raisin yet." Kakashi said when Sakumo came back in after waiving down a nurse for actual food. Thanking the man when he was handed a plastic cup of water.

"Well, maybe if you were out for a month." Sakumo went digging through a briefcase, successfully fishing out an old power bar but Kakashi froze. "A week of laying in bed won't turn you into an old man. Trust me, I know."

"A week?" Kakashi repeated in utter confusion. "A week?"

Searching the other man's face, he saw the same confusion when Sakumo nodded, "Yeah, it's been almost six days now. You're one of the last players to get out."

* * *

"So," Tsunade smiled upon their small group with a glass of tinkling champagne in her hand. "To a group of great friends and to the success of Yamato's movie."

The group cheered and applauded together, toasting to the new year and to the news that Yamato's script had been greenlit. It had been almost a month ago that Yamato had contacted them all. He had somehow gotten everyone's numbers so that he could talk to them about making their adventure into the game a movie.

His career as a scriptwriter wasn't long but he was young and the script he'd sent everyone for their approval had been good. Studios had clamored for his ideas and had even asked all participating parties for a copy of their Life footage but even though most had turned the idea down, others like Gai had willing given in. It had been a very respectful process though and it gave them the chance to reconnect with everyone.

Kakashi hadn't given rights to his Life footage regardless. It wasn't on a matter of personal embarrassment, but he hadn't exactly talked to Iruka since. He hadn't even seen the man at all since they went back to reality. They were adults though and they had lives. It wasn't like they could just drop everything to see each other. He didn't want to come off as creepy either, stalking around the internet until he found the right Iruka.

"Hey, brat." Tsunade smiled up at him from where he saw seated in one of her comfy chairs, his crutches propped up next to him. "Why don't you come and join the rest of the party in the kitchen?"

"Sure, give me a second." She seemed appeased by his answer but when she sashayed away, he took another moment to quietly study the people who were milling about. It was the first time meeting up properly since the day they came back.

Gai was there in his finest tracksuit, making everyone laugh with funny tales of the students at the community center. Even Hinata was laughing loudly with the rest of the group. Behind her, Kurenai had one hand on the girl's head and another on the small bump of her stomach. Her husband seemed like a nice man too. Hinata's parents were sitting quietly in the kitchen too, listening and acting as supervisors to their weird group. Thankfully, Darui was the calmest of them, hanging out near the drinks as a nonverbal cue to keep things in check. But he didn't decline the offer to guess song titles and artists.

Finally sitting up from the chair, he adjusted his bowtie and made sure his dress shirt was tucked in properly before pulling onto the crutches. He was still getting used to them. It had only been a few days since his rehabilitation coach had encouraged him to try them more. The feeling in his feet and knees were still gone but he could at least feel and control until mid-thigh now. He could lean against counters and hobble around slowly without fail. It had been long and hard work, but it was slowly paying off. It was even more encouraging that his dad wasn't going overseas anymore and came over almost every weekend to spend time with him.

Hobbling over to the kitchen, they made space for him to sit at the island and made him a drink that he gladly sipped.

Food was almost about to be served up at the dining room table when the doorbell chime.

"Finally," Tsunade made her way to the door as she threw over her shoulder. "That boy is even later than you are, Kakashi!"

And he knew who it was going to be. It sent shivers up his spine and he was glued to his seat, unable to even lean over to see who was coming in down the hall.

"Iruka!" Tsunade called out and some of the party cheered, making their way to the front door. He could hear voices say, "Oh, you shouldn't have."

"It's the least I could do," Was the polite response and there were happy calls as people were hugged and greeted.

Iruka was beaming from ear to ear, so happy to reconnect with the people he'd missed so much. He'd been so busy ever since he'd gotten out but always found time to think about them and wish he could reconnect. Tsunade's hand on his shoulder was such a comfort and he was so surprised to see Kurenai pregnant that he was too scared to even hug her properly. It was such a relief to see them all alive and well and happy that he was stunned as the others spoke.

"Ahn, here he comes," Someone said from the back and Iruka made way for the tidal wave that was Naruto with his own version of a host gift.

"Who's ready for a party?" Naruto demanded with a bright smile and everyone was drawn to the boy who stole their attention away from Iruka. Thankful for the moment, Iruka hooked up his coat and looked towards the kitchen where he could see a pair of crutches leaning against the island.

With a breath for confidence, he reeled in the anxious seizing in his chest, squeezing his hands into fists around the bottle of wine he'd brought.

He had never been so happily nervous in his life.

Looking back at his friends, he saw Gai flash him an embarrassing wink.

With cheeks flushed from the cold and Gai's thoughtful distractions, he moved into the kitchen.

Just as he pictured, a familiar head of silver hair was perched on the edge of an island stool with his long legs stretched out under him, almost leaning against the granite. Dark eyes watched him move through the doorway and Iruka slowed to a stop, the pain in his chest stopping him.

Blinking, he realised Kakashi's mouth was moving, "Hey."

"Hi." Iruka said automatically and didn't know what to follow up with, his heart in his mouth. It was so surreal. He'd forgotten completely how much pain he'd felt when he last saw the other man but now it came back tenfold. It dawned on him as his eyes teared up that this was the first time, he was really meeting Kakashi in the flesh.

Finding that part of himself again, Iruka stepped forward, barely inches away from the other man's legs as he stuck out his hand. Grinning at full blast as tears threatened to fall, he said in an overly polite fashion, "Iruka Umino."

The stunned expression faded away, replaced by an equally glowing smile. "Nice to meet you, Iruka. Kakashi Hatake."

The warm hand that took his made the tears instantly fall and Iruka's smile wavered, barely seeing Kakashi give the same pain expression through his watery vision.

And he barely managed to whisper out. "Nice to meet you, Kakashi."

* * *

 _Hope you enjoyed reading as much as I did writing._


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